Not Your Type
by WhoNatural
Summary: Bella, a sophomore at NYU & waitress in a coffee shop, left Jake in Forks for fear of imprinting. She meets a new guy, and it seems Jake has moved on too, so it's happily ever after, right? Not so much. Based on song 'Don't Bother' by Shakira. Nominated for Best Humour & Best Original Character in Non-Canon awards. 1ST PLACE WINNER of Coolest Original Character in the JBNP Awards!
1. Cat Sitting

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

_Pairing: Bella/OC, Bella/Jacob, Jacob/OC_

_Rating: MA_

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><p><strong>Chapter One:Cat-Sitting<strong>

_Setting: Jitters' Coffee Shop in New York City_

_Timeline: Tuesday, 5.36pm, December, 14th, Bella's Sophomore year of college_

"Uh, miss? Whoa!"

"Crap! I'm so sorry!" I grabbed the rag tucked into my apron and began frantically mopping up the steaming coffee from my victim's table.

"It's fine, I think I'll still be able to father children.. Finals kicking your ass, huh?" he asked, gesturing to the well-worn novel in my left hand. Looking at him for the first time, my breath hitched in my throat. This guy had one of the kindest smiles I had ever laid eyes on. Piecing green eyes under a sympathetic brow, and ridiculous dimples that I thought only existed on boyband members. He had a cute smattering of freckles across his nose, leading down to a sexy, unshaven jawline and adorably mussed, sandy, blonde hair that looked like it had spent some time under a beanie hat recently.

"You wouldn't believe... " I sighed. "I guess I shouldn't try to bone up while pouring coffee," I ventured, and was rewarded with a small chuckle. "I'm so sorry about almost maiming you, let me get you a cupcake, on the house," I amended, turning in the direction of the baked goods counter.

"No really, it's okay, I was trying to figure out how to catch your attention for the past half hour anyway.." he smirked.

"Shit, really? I blushed. "I'm sorry, I am actually the world's worst waitress, did you need something?"

"Uh no..." he replied, sheepishly. "Well, maybe your name?"

_Oh._

"Any particular reason?" I asked, my heart beginning to thud. _Don't make this awkward, dimples. I'd hate to have to wipe that gorgeous smile off your face..._

"Well, you're not the only one who's been neglecting their studies. I've come in here every night for a week on 'study breaks'," he air quoted, "which my room-mate rightfully translated to 'trying to talk to the cute waitress at Jitters' breaks," he confessed. "I guess there's something about you, it's like you don't even realise that half the male customers are checking you out, " he jerked his head away from the corner booth he was in to the open area of puffy couches and mismatched tables, populated with students and professors escaping the harsh chill of the city's biting winds. "It's kind of intriguing," he finished.

_Because they're not? Damn... here comes awkward._

"Uh, listen.._"_

"Josh," he supplied. There was that smile again.

"Okay, Josh.. you really don't want to go there with me." A crease appeared between his brows.

"I don't? It sure feels like I do...?" he was fishing for my name. _Smooth move, Josh._

"Bella," I conceded.

"_Bel-la,_" he emphasized, smiling at the new discovery. "Wanna give me a reason?"

"I'm not as interesting as you seem to think I am,"

"I beg to differ."

"I wouldn't make a good girlfriend," I confessed, shaking my head and returning my attention to the stained table-top.

He held his hands up in a halting motion. "Whoa, Bella, who said _girlfriend_? All I was thinking was one measly date," he answered, his smile widening. "Maybe Friday? There's a new Tisch production debuting this week."

I sighed. I _did_ want to go see the newest performance, but I wasn't willing to bend my self-imposed rules. "I don't date."

"It's a non-date then."

"I'm really busy with finals."

"So am I."

"I have to cat-sit."

"I love cats."

"I only sleep with girls."

"I'm really in touch with my feminine side. Ask my ex-boyfriend." I spluttered a laugh at that. _Damn, this guy is persistent._

"Look, Josh," I began, leaning one hand on the table to relieve the aching burn my job placed on my feet. "You seem like a great guy, but I'm just not doing the whole relationship thing. I'm sorry." He finally looked defeated.

"Damn, a week's worth of semi-stalking, down the tube, " he mock sighed. I giggled despite myself.

"Believe me, you dodged a bullet. Last guy who showed interest in me got his heart broken." _And I'm still not over him. Okay lungs, keep working, it's no use getting worked up again._

"Did you run off with his sister?" he quipped, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow. I found myself giggling. Again. _Damn, those dimples._

"No, but I almost ditched him for a guy he hates, changed my mind, and ran off anyway."

"Ouch, you really are a heart-breaker," he winced, clutching his chest with one hand. "Still, I can't really complain since you're here _and _you're single."

_He really is relentless._

"I'll make you a deal, if I ever change my mind, I'll take you up on that non-date," I offered. Those stupid dimples were cracking my resolve. He seemed to ponder it for a moment, before coming to a conclusion.

"Okay, but how will I ever see you again? We could be like two ships in a passing storm in the vast sea of New York City," he gasped, eyes widening dramatically. I scoffed at his antics.

"You know where I work, I'm sure we'll see each other again," I answered, not wanting to be swayed any more by his irresistible charisma. He slumped in his seat, finally relenting. "Although, if I stand here talking to you any longer I might not have a job to come to. Then you'll never find me," I whispered, glancing over my shoulder where my supervisor, Tracy, was glowering at me, arms folded, as if she was a drill sergeant.

"Fine, you win this one, Bella. I have to get to the library anyway, otherwise you'll have to tell my mom I flunked out, it being your fault and all, " he joked.

I rolled my eyes and he moved out of the booth. Standing to his full height, I took the chance to assess his broad shoulders, encased in a dark green waffle shirt and his athletic chest leading down to low-slung dark wash jeans and black Converse sneakers. He wasn't as tall as most of the La Push guys, but was taller than Edward. I berated myself for making comparisons. He shrugged on a charcoal pea-coat and fixed a light grey beanie on his head. He was smiling as he held out his hand.

"See you on the other side of Finals, short-stuff," he said. I placed my hand in his and marvelled at the temperature before shaking it. It was_ normal. _I snorted at the nick-name.

"See you around, Josh."

As the bell above the front door chimed, signalling his departure, I began to clear the booth he'd been sitting in. When I noticed a dog-eared copy of _Ulysses_ sitting on the seat, I believed it was accidental. That is, until I saw his name and phone number written inside the front cover.

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><p>My shift wore on past rush hour, and my mind kept drifting back to my earlier conversation with Josh. Alex, my colleague and good friend had gone un-noticed as she'd been clearing a table, two booths down. She'd heard the whole exchange.<p>

"Sweetie, I don't know what you're holding out for but don't you think it's time you, I don't know, _stopped_?" she asked, flicking cigarette ash into the wind, We were leaning against the back door of the coffee shop, I was nursing a swiftly-cooling latte while I joined her on one of her frequent smoke breaks. My nose tickled as she exhaled close to my face. The girl was a chimney.

She had taken it upon herself to be my own relationship counsellor, no matter how much I discouraged it, and believe me, I tried. She'd been through her fair share of guys since I'd known her, and was baffled as to why I wasn't aiming for the same 'all-round college experience' as she was. She was currently dating Peter, a guitar player in a pretty popular local folk band who would only answer to_ Pierre _now, and wore fake glasses to complete his 'intelligent, artsy bum' look. The guy was a douche, and she knew it, but from the all-too-frequent accounts of their sexcapades, Alex didn't really care.

"I'm not really waiting, per se."_ Liar. _"I just don't want anyone to get hurt," I admitted. Alex had been given a bare-bones, all-human account of my love life. She was firmly Team Jacob, and didn't believe that the fact he would one day be 'paired up' _(imprinted)_ with a Native girl because of his 'future chief ' _(alpha werewolf)_ status was legitimate reason for leaving him. (Yeah, I'd gotten better at lying since my fumbling teenage years. It came with the territory of having to keep two of the biggest secrets of the supernatural world.) The truth was, I wasn't willing to allow myself to move on until I'd heard he'd imprinted, and I would finally accept there was no hope for us. That, and it wouldn't feel right until Jacob had moved on first, me being the heart-breaker and all. Last I'd heard from Charlie, there was no girl in the picture. I'd been disgustingly relieved, but that was during Freshman year, and I planned to dig for more info when I went home in a few weeks.

"You know you're kidding yourself, right? Look, are you going to see the hunky Native man-meat over Christmas break?" she asked. The allusion to Jacob shocked me. Sometimes, I wondered if my face did some kind of twitch when I thought of him. She always knew. I shook my head adamantly.

"No, I promised myself I'd give us both enough time before I saw him again. Since I'm not ready, I doubt he is either."

"So you're living like a damn nun for no reason?" she asked, exasperated by my actions. "All I'm saying is, you might never be ready, and before you know it, you're 40, single and contemplating Cougardom. That shit only works if you look like Courtney Cox, hun. And you probably won't have her Botox budget," she chided.

My mind was once again drawn back to the copy of Ulysses I'd stashed behind the cash register. _Would it really be so awful to give Josh a call?_ I knew Alex would approve, but I didn't want her influencing my decision. This was something I had to figure out alone, and she'd been pretty vocal in her opinions already. Ugh, I was_ so_ over this conversation, a repeat of the same one we'd had many times over the last year. Thankfully, Tracy's bellowing voice interrupted us.

"Bella! Alexandria! You're not getting paid to gossip, we've got customers."

"I swear, she only calls me by my full name because she knows I hate it," Alex grumbled, pouting at Tracy's retreating back. I snickered at her childishness.

"She probably thinks it's more professional or something," I ventured.

"Sure, then how come you never get _Isabel-la?_" she asked, mocking Tracy's shrill tone when she said my name. I laughed again.

"Clearly I'm just the better employee," I teased, pushing my tongue out between my teeth. Alex's response was to transform her dish towel into a whip and chase me back into the shop's heat. Taking my place as barista behind the counter, I began to set up the espresso machine for the new clientèle. The line was moving well in front of me and I began to take orders. When I got to the third person in line, I was wiping down the milk-steamer when I asked for their preference.

Silence.

Furrowing my brow, I looked up to see what the hold up was, and my heart leapt wildly in my chest. There, towering in front of me wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a look of bewilderment on his face, stood Embry Call.

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><p><strong>AN: Hey guys, this story began life as a one-shot, but once I started writing the character of Josh, he kind of took over. What do you guys think of him? Do we like him? For reference, I imagine him looking like a 21-year-old Jensen Ackles. ;) And to those of you wondering what happened to Communications, it has NOT been abandoned. I will finish it, I just had this idea and had to explore.**

**Also, I have a fair idea of the direction of the story, but that can change in response to reader input, so let me know your opinions. Reviews are so important to me and I urge you to leave one, even if it's just a line. As in the description, the story is based on the song "Don't Bother" by Shakira. I'm sure that will give a huge clue to the direction I'm going.**


	2. Fine Specimen

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.__No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Fine Specimen<strong>

"Oh my Go-... Embry?" I whisper-shrieked, causing Alex to halt her movements wiping down the counter and raise a brow in my direction. My reaction seemed to shake him out of his reverie, and he shook his head before his face broke into a beaming smile.

"Shit, Bella! Wow, it's great to see you!" he answered.

He'd maybe grown two inches in height since we'd last seen each other, and although he'd always had the leanest physique of his pack brothers (besides Seth, that is), standing by himself he was an imposing presence. This was cancelled out, however when you took in his still-boyish features, and shaggy hair which had grown out of the almost buzz-cut he'd sported in the early days of his phasing. I wondered if it was a look he was going for, or if it was simply that he was overdue a haircut. Either way, it suited him, and I was so glad to see no judgement in his eyes.

Looking at Embry, I was instantly transported back to La Push when I saw him, remembering tussles in Jake's garage, wrestling matches on the beach which usually ended in _me_ being dunked in the waves, unbreakable friendships and soft brown eyes promising never to let me down.

I remembered wolves. Their soft muzzles and slimy tongues ruining my hair. I remembered their raw power and fierce loyalty making me feel safer than in my whole life growing up with a police chief as a father.

I also remembered amber eyes full of sorrow and remorse and being caught in the most soul-crushing love triangle in history. I remembered a rushed engagement. Fevered kisses on a mountain top. Images of russet children healing the last of the hole in my heart.

I remembered a brutal battle. I remembered giving back the ring. Screams of pain.

"_Let's get all the re-breaking done at once."_

"_That's not why I'm here..."_

I remembered crawling into sweat-covered sheets. Innocent kisses. Falling asleep to the most unfamiliar, beautiful, _wonderful _sound of _thump thump thump. _

After that, it's a blur of love, friendship, family dinners, happy fathers. Kisses on the beach and cuddles watching the sunset. Exploration of feelings and sensations, of each other's bodies. Planning the next step. Being ecstatic just to be together.

Finally I remembered a bonfire. A long-missed sister. A wolf with love in his eyes. Paul running. Jake phasing, chasing. And me? I was fleeing.

"What brings you to the Big Apple?" I asked. _I missed you guys so much._

"I came to scope out the NYU Campus, seems the council are putting up a scholarship fund for some of the tribes more _talented_ members," he replied, puffing out his chest. I grinned at how little he'd changed, and how I could tell Quil had been rubbing off on him.

"That's awesome, Embry," I said, genuinely proud of him. Jake and the guys had made no secret of Embry's above-average intelligence, and I admired the fact that despite growing up in a single parent family, shouldering half the burden of a household from a young age _and_ having his life turned on its head when he became a victim of the tribe's furry epidemic, he was still excelling. If Embry could make something of himself, the rest of us slackers had no excuse. I gestured for him to sit down at a booth near the counter and I'd join him once the small rush had been taken care of. Smiling, he obliged. I told Tracy I was taking my second half-hour break for the shift as I brought his coffee to him, complete with the largest blueberry muffin I could find. He smiled in recognition of the nostalgic gesture.

My mind drifted towards Emily, and then to the other imprints I'd grown close to. Had there been any more added to the pack family? I found I wasn't sure if I wanted to know. Embry was artfully dodging the subject of Jacob and I was gratefully allowing him to. I was relieved to hear that Quil had taken to casual dating while he waited for little Claire to grow up. All that hormonal energy had to go somewhere, and Quil hadn't seemed like, well, _Quil _when he was fawning over a toddler and chastising Paul for using the F-word in front of her. Embry regaled me with tales of his woman-hunting missions that more often than not ended with a slap in the face or a cold drink over his head. I couldn't have been happier for him. With any luck, he'd fall for a girl of his choosing and forever be a great big brother to Claire. It's the outcome I'd always wanted.

I was thrilled to hear Leah was dating again, although it seemed like none of her relationships lasted. Maybe she'd finally get her happy ending. We both knew the pain of not being deemed suitable for our wolves by whatever mystic forces determined soulmates. Leah seemed to finally be moving on – more than I was even doing – and I respected her strength for the hundredth time. She was the only one who really understood why I left. Maybe she was the reason that Embry was being so amicable? I'd assumed my next visit to La Push would have resulted in my being tied to one of their famous bonfires (_or something equally as painful and horrific_). Even if she'd had no input, I hoped she'd get some peace, especially now that Emily was pregnant.

Somewhere during our catch up, Alex wandered over to inform me that Tracy was grumbling that my break had ended 10 minutes ago. I couldn't help but think that Alex had used it as an excuse to insert herself into the conversation. She was in full-on prowl mode, and poor, unsuspecting Embry was the prey she'd locked her targets on. As I stood up from the table, she plopped herself down in an empty space and held her hand out delicately towards him.

"Alex Morgan, friend of Bella's. And who might you fine specimen be?" she asked, lips pulling up on one side in a sexy smirk. Sometimes, I envied the way she could talk to any guy like he was lucky to be worth her time. Embry blushed, taking in my amused grin before clearing his throat.

"Uh, Embry Call. I knew Bella back home in Washington."

"My, my, you're not one of the famous La Push Quileutes, are you? Bella sure does like to talk about you guys," she said before adding "Especially when she's wasted!" in an exaggerated stage whisper. I was _so_ not cooking her dinner tonight. I narrowed my eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Alexandria_,_ don't you have some work to do?" She scowled in response.

"Actually, _Isabella,_ I'm gonna take my break now. Maybe get to know your _friend _here a little better." she gestured towards Embry, who was smiling dumbly in return. _Alex works her magic once again.._

"That'd be fine if you didn't take six cigarette breaks already today, as well as your half hour earlier, Alexandria. Go re-stock the coffee filters," Tracy interjected, much to the chagrin of an already-smitten Alex. I couldn't help but think it was probably for the best for Embry. She'd eat him alive.

He was quizzing me about the University as I got to work making his second coffee, when his phone signalled a new text message. He cursed under his breath as he read it, and his eyes shone with regret when they met mine again.

"I'm sorry Bella, I had no idea you worked here, and I already..." he trailed off as the front door opened and in walked a sight that made me wonder if I'd spilled scalding coffee on my chest.

Into my little sanctuary of a coffee shop, strode an extremely happy looking Jacob Black. On his arm, was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.

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><p><strong>AN: I decided to post chapter two straight away, as I had it finished already. My future updates won't be this close together, just as a warning. I won't be able to keep up this pace forever but I do promise frequent posts!**

**How are we enjoying the story? Embry's probably my second favourite wolf so I wanted him to have quite an involved part in the story. I look forward to your reviews!**


	3. The Irish Charm Offensive

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: Irish Charm Offensive<strong>

_She's got the kind of look that defies gravity__  
><em>_She's the greatest cook__  
><em>_And she's fat free_

My eyes widened in panic as I took in the sight. I looked back to Embry seeing him biting his lip in regret. All I could think was _I'm not ready for this_. I shook my head back at him, whispering "I can't."

He leaned forward on the table, glancing back to see if the subject of our conversation had spotted us yet. "He's gonna know, Bella. He's gonna see," he hissed. I could tell he was almost as panicked as I was, but whether that was over Jake's reaction to seeing me again, or my reaction, I couldn't be sure.

"Just give me a minute, please," I said before darting back behind the espresso machine. I had to get out of sight, and fast. I remembered that Alex was safely holed up in the store room, and I made my way there. She whirled in shock when I burst into the room and threw myself back against the door, panting as if I was running for my life.

"What's wrong, Bella? What happened?" she blurted before I held a finger up to my lips to keep her voice down.

"Jake-" I gulped in an extra breath, as if it would make any difference. I felt like I was crumbling. "Jake's here. With a girl. I'm not ready," I whimpered. I was starting to get pretty pissed at myself. In the time I'd been in New York, I felt like I'd grown up a little. I wasn't the same mousey teen I had been in Forks, and being part of debate groups in school had amped up my confidence. I was clear in my opinions and I knew I deserved more out of life, and it was up to me to get it. All it took was one look at Jacob Black and his lingerie-model-girlfriend and it all came tumbling down. _Pathetic._

_She practices Tai Chi  
>She'd never lose her nerve<br>She's more than you deserve  
>She's just far better than me <em>

"Do you need me to go out there?" Alex asked. I nodded fervently. "Here, you take over in here, I'll go spy." She straightened her shoulders and got this determined look on her face as she approached the door.

"Alex, please be subtle. It's not his fault, I left _him_, don't forget."

"I know, he still has no right to parade his new piece of ass in front of you, though."

"They didn't know I work here, remember?" her posture relaxed slightly at that.

"Fine, but do I still get to hate the bitch?" I sighed in relief at her allegiance.

"Please do."

She gave me an apologetic smile before closing the door behind her. I paced the small store room, still wondering what to do. If I went out there, it was going to be awkward as hell, but once he and Embry were phased together, he'd see that I'd hidden from him and never came out. He'd be angry and even hurt. _Or would he?_

There was the very real probability that the girl sitting a few feet away was the person I'd loathed more than anyone in my entire life this past eighteen months. Jacob's imprint. I'd always imagined her being beautiful. Maybe she'd be as sweet and kind has he was. Maybe she'd be a firecracker. No matter what, she'd be perfect for Jake, and that's what killed me. _Wouldn't Embry have said something? Warned me? _Who was I kidding, Embry had been avoiding the subject of Jake like the plague. They were still best friends, and he didn't owe me anything. Maybe he was too afraid of how I'd react. _Too late now, Em. _Jacob probably couldn't care less about seeing me. And that was the reason I couldn't bring myself to open the door and go back. I couldn't bear it if Jacob looked at me and I saw nothing in his eyes but contempt or disdain. Or even worse,_ indifference. _At least if he hated me, it meant I was still on his mind, part of his life. If Jake just simply _didn't care_ about me, it would be my undoing, I knew it.

All too soon, Alex burst back into the room, clearly in stealth mode and enjoying her new task immensely.

"Well, she's clearly a total slut."

"Alex! You can't know that."

"Have you seen how she's dressed? I have less revealing lingerie. And this is coming from someone who wears thongs to the gym," she countered. I felt a slight comfort in her words, as wrong as I knew it was. The girl hadn't been dressed any different than I would be; jeans, boots and a mid-length, eggplant-coloured jacket. But from the short glimpse I'd seen of _her_, I didn't doubt that _she_ filled out lingerie much better than_ I _could even dream of.

"That Jake, though. Holy crap, Your photos don't do that guy justice. I'd spread him on a cracker," she murmured, licking her lips and earning her a smack on the arm from yours truly. "Sorry, but it's true, I see now why you're having trouble letting go," she confessed, turning to look at me. She furrowed a delicately shaped brow. "He's acting weird though, keeps sniffing the air and frowning at the espresso counter," she supplied. _Uh oh, he's picked up my scent._

"What are they talking about, can you hear?_" _I asked, almost dreading that she'd say 'you'.

"_She's _yammering on about shopping or something and the guys are just eye-fucking each other. Seriously, glaring, like this-" She demonstrated by narrowing her flawlessly-lined eyes at me and cocking her head to one side. _Jake knows Embry's hiding something._

"I should probably go out there, before I leave it too long and I can't," I mused.

"I think that's for the best," Alex agreed, seemingly reluctantly. Then, a wicked gleam sparked in her eye as she turned abruptly to me once again. "Oh! I almost forgot with all my sleuthing... you have another visitor!" she smirked, and a stab of dread pierced my chest. I didn't think I could handle much more today.

I made my way cautiously back out to the shop, half-wishing they'd be gone and half- dreading it. No matter what, seeing Jake always did improve my day. I made my way around the counter and stopped in my tracks. _She_ was sitting with her back to me, jet black, silky hair flowing down to her waist over the cherry red, cashmere sweater that clung to her figure. She had a belt fastened round her middle that only seemed to accentuate her hour-glass shape. I could tell from her body language she was deep in conversation with both men, but didn't seem to be getting much in the way of a response. I could see Jake over her shoulder, staring down, listening intently. He was breathtaking.

His eyes darted up from the table and took me in, I felt like I was in free-fall, and the only thing I wanted was to land in his arms. He looked older, around the face. His jaw and cheekbones held more definition and his hair seemed artfully tousled to perfection, though the idea of Jake spending more than 30 seconds looking in the mirror in the morning was laughable. There was a light dusting of stubble on his chin and jawline, and his lips were agape with what I hoped was pleasant surprise. He was wearing a grey t-shirt under a black hooded leather jacket, sleeves bunched up at the elbows despite the cold. His jeans were black and his shoes looked to be vintage monochrome Nikes, the hi-top kind. Jacob had become fashionable. But maybe it was just because he looked like a freakin' GQ cover star. It seemed like no matter what he wore, it made his skin pop and look like melted toffee.

He blinked once, twice, three times before looking over at Embry who was wearing an expression of guilt and intrigue. Deliberately, he frowned, and his chair rattled noisily behind him as he stood. Just then, a dainty, manicured hand shot out and landed on his arm. She'd finally paused in her ramblings to stop him from reaching me. _I hated her instantly._

"Don't get up, J, the waitress has to come to us. Man, you're impatient," she ordered, in a self-assured tone I'd heard hundreds of times over the course of my higher education. She _ordered._ That was the first kick in the teeth. Jacob Black didn't take orders from _anyone_, not even Sam, when he was alpha – not even Billy. This chick was talking to him like he was hers to boss around. And he was obeying. Just as I was about to suck up my fear and make my way over, the voice of my _other visitor_ reached my ears.

"Hey, short-stuff, I've given up stalking you, I swear," he joked as he made his way across to me. I halted my trajectory before I turned and gave him my warmest smile. It wasn't Josh's fault I was having the worst day at work _ever_. Plus, he was allowing me to delay what would surely be the most uncomfortable conversation of my life..

"I'd actually believe that if this wasn't your _second_ visit of the day. Although you're not very stealthy," I teased. He gave me a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head with one hand.

"Busted, huh?" he mock-confessed. "Actually, I lost something, I was wondering if I left it in the booth?" he asked, gesturing across the room to where we'd had our earlier conversation.

"I did find something, but I assumed it was all part of your evil master-scheme to win me over with Irish charm.." I joked. He looked genuinely confused.

"Your surname's Garrity, right? Well with that, and the James Joyce, I figured it was a two-pronged Irish charm offensive," I explained. I had no idea where this flirty confidence was coming from, but I was harnessing it with all my strength. From the corner of my vision, I could see _her_ stroking Jacob's cheek, but his eyes were boring a hole in the side of my skull. I swear, I was starting to itch. Recognition dawned in Josh's green eyes.

"Ohh. Wait, have you been thumbing through my Ulysses?" he asked, cocky grin plastered across his mouth. I felt the beginnings of a blush at seemingly being caught out.

"You were going to call me, weren't you," he teased, loving my show of embarrassment.

"I hadn't decided yet," I confessed.

"Well maybe I saved you the trouble..." he probed. I was all too aware of Little Miss Victoria's Secret basically marking her territory. If Jake had moved on, then I could at least try to.

"Maybe you did," I countered. He looked briefly surprised but soon covered it with his usual endearing confidence.

"Friday?"

"Sure," I agreed, my voice only shaking slightly.

My heart was pounding and inside I was screaming that this better not be a mistake. Josh's answering smile was momentarily disarming.

"Awesome," he beamed. Just then, his cell phone started blaring 'Little Lion Man' by Mumford and Sons, one of my all time favourite songs. I was pleasantly surprised by his taste in music as well as literature. He glanced at the screen and whatever he saw made him turn towards the exit.

"Meet you here at 6.30. And no studying!" he called as he made his way to the door. His copy of Ulysses completely forgotten.

I turned my attention back around to Jacob's table, where he was staring at me with a look of betrayal in his eyes. My steps faltered by the force of it. After all this time, it still caused me physical pain to see Jake hurting. But then I remembered that really, he shouldn't be. _Seriously?_ You come in here with, what looks like, the Native American version of Adriana Lima, and _I'm_ the one hurting _you_? I looked at Alex, absent-mindedly spraying a table in the corner giving me a fierce look of confidence. _You can do this, Bella. He's just a guy. You're not eighteen any more._ I knew exactly what she was thinking, and I felt like she was lending her strength to me. I squared my shoulders, cleared my throat, and approached the table.

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><p><strong>AN: I don't know about you, but I think we all need an Alex at certain times in our life. I like her, she's got sass. **

**Are you looking forward to hearing from Jacob? He's looking damn good, but how is he _really_?**

**That Josh just doesn't give up, does he? It's kind of endearing. At least he provided a little distraction for Bella to get her nerve up, and she didn't look like she's been sat in her dorm, pining for Jake this last year. (Even though she totally has...)**

**This chapter is for everyone who has gone out of their way to avoid running into an ex. I know I have.**

**As always, I'm really looking forward to your reviews!**


	4. Bathroom Ninja

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: Bathroom Ninja<strong>

Embry gave me a small smile of encouragement as I neared the group. They'd moved out of the booth he was sitting in earlier, no doubt because Jake's impossible leg-length couldn't be accommodated in the cramped conditions. I returned his smile, wanting to look anywhere but at Jake's questioning glare. He was not happy. I guessed that maybe I should have left my little dating venture until later, away from where he could hear every word Josh and I had said, but hindsight is 20/20, right? Following the gaze of her companions, Miss America's Next Top Model swivelled round in her seat and smiled at me. I could do nothing but gape at her in return. She was flawless.

Her inky black locks flowed in soft waves, framing her face and perfect cheekbones. Her pouty lips looked like they were wearing some sort of high-end gloss, but I was close enough to tell that she wasn't. She was so naturally beautiful, I wanted to die. Her eyes were more hazel-green than the soft brown of Jake and Embry's, and that along with the fact that her skin wasn't quite the same caramel colour of theirs indicated she was mixed race. She was perfection, and hell, if I didn't want to claw her soulful eyes out, _I _would want to sleep with her.

"Oh, hey can we order some more coffee?" she asked, clearly not noticing how I was staring at her like some sort of teenage pervert. Before I could answer, Jake cut in. Clearly he'd snapped himself out of the daze he'd been in since laying eyes on me.

"I'd be careful, Addie, Bella always did make coffee that would have you bouncing off the walls for two days straight," he said, grinning tightly. The smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Don't worry, they were very thorough when I was a trainee. No sleepless nights from me unless you ask for it," I retorted, winking at her(?) and proud that my voice was even and I was keeping up my façade of calm. _What are you doing? Leave! Now! _I only hoped that the background noise was enough to drown out my heart, which seemed to be trying to leap out of my chest, across the table, and into Jacob's lap. Addie's brow furrowed in confusion as she looked between us.

"You guys know each other?" she enquired, finally looking to Embry who seemed to building some sort of fort out of sugar packets. I wished it was big enough for me to crawl into.

"Oh yeah, Bella here's an old friend. Aren't you _short-stuff?_" he replied, still not looking at her. _Oh yeah, he'd definitely been listening._

"Wow, what a small world. Are you from Washington too?" she asked. Jake, once again, answered for me.

"She's Charlie's daughter, you met him last month, remember?"

"Oh, wow, your dad's a really nice man. Police Chief, right?"

"Right," was all I could say, feeling betrayed that Charlie hadn't mentioned that Jake was dating again._ Not that I give him much chance to talk bout Jake.. _More than that though, was the fact that she'd clearly been spending time in la Push, around _my_ friends, meaning they hadn't just met. I wondered how long they'd been together. Did the guys embrace her as they had me? Did the imprints bond with her? Did Leah view her with disdain?

"Nobody said he had a daughter," she mused, "although now that you mention it, looks like you guys have the same eyes." Her own eyes bored into mine and I felt like I was rooted to the spot. She wasn't trying to make me feel uncomfortable, I could tell by the soft smile she wore, but I couldn't help it. My old inferiority complex had reared it's ugly head, and I felt like I had when Edward told me about Tanya. But this girl was all human, and somehow the fact that I couldn't attribute her beauty to vampirism made matters worse.

She's been to private school  
>And she speaks perfect French<br>She's got the perfect friends  
>Oh isn't she cool?<p>

She interrupted my self deprecating thoughts by asking me about college.

"So you go to college here? What's your major?" she asked, seeming genuinely interested. I couldn't _not _answer her. _You're not supposed to be nice, you bitch._

"English, that is until I flunk my finals next week," I joked. She made a noise of disgust, agreeing with me.

"Ugh, aren't they the worst? I'm a French major myself, I can speak the language fine, but the essays are killing me this semester," she supplied. College girl, huh? I assumed she 'd make a living on how perfect her face was. "If it wasn't for my room-mate tutoring me, I'd be out on my ass," she laughed. It sounded like summer rain hitting off a glass roof. I decided to cut my losses and get the hell away from them.

"Sorry to be rude guys, but I'm supposed to be working, I used up my break time earlier on our catch up session." I shot a smile in Embry's direction, which he returned with relief. I guessed he wanted the awkwardness to end as much as I did. Jake shot him a questioning look, which he answered with a subtle shake of his head, promising to tell him later.

"What can I get for you?" I memorised their orders and retreated behind the safety of the espresso machine, where Alex swiftly joined me.

"What's the verdict? Do we hate her? Should I jump her if she goes to the bathroom?" she asked, doing some sort of weird karate-chop I was sure would be offensive to any martial arts enthusiast. I could do nothing but shake my head sadly.

"She's perfect. She's exactly what he deserves. Maybe even more so," I replied, knowing that the last part wasn't true. Jake deserved the best, and I was trying my utmost to be happy for him, but I just couldn't seem to summon it.

"Crap, I hate when the guy wins the break-up," she muttered. As I began steaming the milk for Addie's _full-fat _mocha, _(bitch),_ Embry used the cover of noise to approach the counter. Alex perked right up as she saw him approach, tucking a strand of shiny, auburn hair behind her ear, but he simply smiled softly at her. When he directed his gaze at me, his pitying eyes made me feel worse.

"I'm really sorry, Bella, I wasn't sure how to bring it up, and then they were just _here,_" he volunteered. I wasn't mad at him, but I could tell he was worried I would be.

"It's fine, Em, I didn't exactly ask. Is she his..." I trailed off, shooting Alex a sidelong glance, I couldn't exactly say 'imprint' in front of her, but he seemed to pick up on what I was asking. I thought the roof would cave in on me when he nodded forlornly.*

"Oh," I said quietly, before plastering on the most convincing smile I could. "Well, I mean. That's awesome. For him I mean. I'm glad." _Liar, God, you are such a bad liar when it comes to him. _Alex squeezed my hand, not quite understanding the whole situation, but sympathising all the same.I had finished their drinks and placed them on the top of the counter for Embry to carry back to the table, no way I could go over there again now that I was sure who she was. Thankfully, he obliged. Just before he walked back, he turned around to ask a final question.

"Listen, Bella, would you mind showing me around tomorrow? I mean it's okay if you can't. We could talk then, if you want," he stammered, clearly expecting to be shot down. My curiosity about Addie won out, though, and I found myself agreeing. _Why are you doing this to yourself?_

"Wait, is it just you? Or..." I trailed off as I glanced behind him to were Jake and Addie where laughing over a shared joke. My stomach lurched to see him give her a version of _my _smile.

"Just me, they're going Holiday shopping, _again,_" he supplied, rolling his eyes. I sighed in relief.

"Okay, yeah, that's cool. How about I meet you outside here about ten thirty?" I asked, assuming that he didn't know the area well enough to pick another meeting-point. He gave me a grateful smile.

"Awesome, thanks, Bella!" he said before returning to his table.

I kept busy for the following hour, deftly avoiding their table and serving anyone I could. I even re-stocked and rotated every coffee type we had on sale for home use, all the while feeling like something heavy and leaden was sitting where my heart used to be. Everything I'd seen this evening was starting to take its toll, and all I wanted was to go home, put on my PJs and scream into a pillow.

I didn't know how I'd managed to kid myself, but I never thought it would be this hard. Maybe I'd assumed I'd have forewarning and could prepare myself, rather than having him stroll back into my life, happy and in love with someone who wasn't me and never would be. The way he looked at her, how they seemed to be constantly touching, it all seemed so painfully familiar. I thought back to the day I tried to discourage him from holding my hand. What an idiot I was. I should have been savouring every little touch, committing every kiss we'd shared to memory. I still knew how it felt to be held by him, what my hand felt like encased by his, the softness of his hair as I ran my fingers though it. The contented rumble of his chest when I did something to his body he particularly liked. Sometimes, I'd dream that I was back in my room in Charlie's house, he'd crawl through the window, place a kiss on my forehead and hold me until morning. Now, I just woke up cold and alone, hugging a pillow and feeling pathetic.

Did she know how lucky she was? I could maybe learn to accept their relationship if I thought she woke up every morning, smiling and grateful that Jacob Black loved her. Did she encourage his genius? I hoped she told him all the time how special he was. I wanted her to laugh at his stupid jokes and appreciate his passion and fire. He deserved to have someone worship his perfect body, creating a mental map every contour, ridge and birthmark it had. Did she rain kisses on his left side in memory of how it had been so broken, like I did? Had she spent a morning tracing a finger across his feather-soft eyelashes as he slept? Could she give him everything I couldn't? Did she marvel at his wolf? I hoped she was enthralled by its beauty. Did she count herself lucky that two of the most amazing creatures in existence chose _her_ to love?

I was crouched behind the cash register, absorbed in clearing out the waste paper basket when the sound of a throat clearing caught my attention. Jake stood in front of me with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"I just wanted to uh, pay..." he said, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of himself. I straightened up and gave him my best fake-smile, my heart pounding as I stared at him. He was so gorgeous and sexy and so _not mine_. I could feel a part of me dying inside.

"Sure," I replied, and began ringing up their purchases. When he handed over the money, our fingers grazed, and the electricity between us caused both our bodies to stiffen. He looked into my eyes and the cold, hard edge his gaze had held since he'd been here softened. He looked just like he had when I left. Suddenly, I remembered _why_ that was.

"Addie seems nice," I commented, concentrating on counting out his change. If I looked at him, the jig was up. He shook his head and suddenly I could feel that the 'laser eyes' were back.

"She is. She's great," he replied, curtly. He'd never spoken to me so coldly before, not even when he first phased and tried to scare me off. I felt my leaden heart drop into my stomach, and I swear, the room even seemed to dim slightly. _Where has the sunshine gone?_ I couldn't see Addie around, so I guessed she'd headed to our small bathroom.

"I'm happy for you, Jake," I lied. I really was trying, and hey, it was quite the achievement to talk through the bile that was clawing it's way up my throat at the thought of him kissing her. He saw right through me.

"I'm glad to have your approval," he said cuttingly, tone dripping with sarcasm. His eyes were fixed on his wallet as he stuffed his change back in. "I was losing sleep over it, really. See you 'round, Bella," and with that, he turned his back on me.

A seed of anger bloomed in my stomach, and I watched as Addie made her way back to him and took his hand. She had to be almost six feet tall in the heeled boots she was wearing and I felt inadequate for the tenth time that day. She caught sight of me, shot me a dazzling smile, waved, and then all three of them left. I was struggling to keep my breathing even and slouched back on to the stool behind the register. I had been angry at Jacob before, hell I'd punched the guy in the face, but nothing felt like the frustration I was feeling right now. He'd moved on, found an amazing imprint, and was supposed to be happy. Why couldn't he just let me be fake-happy for him and pretend he believed me? It was all we could hope for.

Looking down on to the shelf below the register, I caught sight of Josh's novel tucked into the side. Right then, I decided to give him a proper chance.

Screw Jacob Black. If he gets his happy ending, so do I.

_She's almost 6 feet tall  
>She must think I'm a flea<br>I'm really a cat, you see  
>And it's not my last life at all.<em>

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><p><strong>*AN: WAIT! Before you completely give up on this story, as I have wanted to do plenty of times when reading that Jacob imprinted on someone who wasn't Bella, I urge you to bear with me. Everything may not be as black and white as it seems...**

**This chapter is for everyone who has talked to someone they'd expected to hate, but had been proven wrong.**

**What do we think of Jacob's attitude? Has his imprint finally lifted the rose tinted glasses he wore which made him forgive Bella every time she hurt him? Personally, I think he's being kind of an ass, but he gets like that sometimes. (It's part of his charm) And Addie? Do we still hate her on principle?**

**How about Bella giving Josh a shot? I'm looking forward to getting to know _him_ better. **

**Next chapter is Bella and Embry's day out. Bella may use it to her advantage, don't you think? Once her curiosity is piqued, she always gets her answers...**

**Let me know some of your theories/opinions in the comments!**


	5. Love Meat

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: Love Meat<strong>

Embry was scarfing down his third footlong in one sitting. It had been a while since I'd shared a meal with any of the La Push guys, and I think I'd almost forgotten how their table manners were. To his credit, he was reigning it in since we were in the public area of my favourite sandwich shop.

"I could seriously make NYU my top choice based on the food alone," he enthused between bites. "Seriously, it's like a freakin' playground for me." I laughed at his show of priorities. We'd spent the entire morning touring the university buildings and he seemed to have liked what he saw. If I was being honest, part of me wanted to have someone from home out here with me. I felt like I'd missed so much and Embry's easy-going, sweet demeanour was a welcome change to the strong personalities I'd surrounded myself with. He'd told me he was hoping to major in History, and eventually become a professor of Native American Culture. It was hard to believe this was the same kid I'd seen get his ass handed to him in Jacob's garage the first time we met.

"Glad to have made an impression, Em," I smiled. "So what did you think of NYU?" I enquired.

"I really like it, I've looked at a few other places, and this is definitely top two."

"Oh yeah? Where else have you seen?"

"My cousin goes to U-Dub, so he was able to show me round there, let's see, then there was Stanford, there were _no_ hot girls there, I mean come on, it's Cali. I thought they'd all be roaming around in bikinis," he wailed. I had to grab a napkin before I snorted my soda through my nose.

"Addie took me on a tour of Dartmouth last month too," he said, taking another mammoth bite.

"Oh really? She never mentioned she went there," I thought aloud. Just then, Embry began choking and I raced to his aid. He seemed to recover quickly, but wasn't losing the blush from his cheeks. I looked into his eyes and his wide-eyed stare was enough to cause me alarm. I had no idea what had happened.

"Embry? Are you okay? You look like I just told you New York's run out of food," I joked, trying to diffuse the awkward tension that had descended on our care-free lunch. He snapped back to reality and shook his head.

"What? Uh, no, it's nothing. I was just eating too fast, I guess," he answered, refusing to look me in the face. I didn't believe a word of it.

"You're almost as bad a liar as I used to be," I smirked. He finally met my gaze and his eyes held the same sorrow and regret as the night before.

"I'm not meant to talk about them," he finally confessed.

"Them? Them who?" I asked, actually confused. Then it dawned on me. "Oh, Addie and Jake." He nodded. He looked so torn, I wondered how serious this rule was.

"Embry, did he, uh, _order_ you not to tell me about them?" I asked, fearing the answer. His eyes widened in shock.

"What? No, no way. Jake hates doing that, he would never... he just asked, is all. When I told him what I was doing today, he asked me not to tell you anything about them, and.. well, he doesn't want to hear anything when I see him later."

I was relieved that Jake wasn't abusing his power, but had to admit that Embry's revelation hurt. It seemed Jacob was determined that we stay out of each others lives, and it explained why Embry had avoided asking me any personal questions all day. Any hope I had of being at least a friendly acquaintance to Jacob ran out the window.

"I get it, I guess. I mean it's only prolonging the hurt." Embry's eyes were downcast as he picked at his sandwich. "Will you tell me one thing though?" His eyes rose to meet mine again, apprehensive that I'd make him betray his brother.

"If it's not too much, how come you reacted so strongly when I mentioned Addie going to Dartmouth?" I asked. I felt like there was more to it than his simple mentioning of her in passing. He looked out the window for a long moment, then sighed.

"I'll probably get my ass kicked later for this, but what the hell, he's already pissed enough I'm here with you now," he sighed, giving me a weak smile. I instantly felt guilty that he was in such an awkward position.

"Dartmouth is where they met. That's where Addie was when Jake first laid eyes on her," he confessed. My brow furrowed in confusion.

"Dartmouth? What was Jake doing in Hanover?" I asked, genuinely perplexed. Embry just stared at his food, waiting for me to work it out. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

"He came looking for me," I surmised, and he nodded glumly.

"After you left, he was really down, for weeks. He was so sure he'd get you back when you came home for the Holidays, and when he heard from Charlie that you were spending them with your mom, he kind of lost it. January this year, he phased and ran all the way to New Hampshire, wanting to see you, and saw Addie instead." I knew what happened next. They imprinted, fell in love, and lived happily ever after. I could almost hear the lead cracking in my chest. "It was only when he came back that he found out you'd ended up going to NYU," he finished.

That made sense. When it came time to accept my place at Dartmouth, so much had happened with the Cullens that it felt wrong to take advantage of their generosity. I was able to take a late admission to NYU just in the nick of time thanks to a glowing recommendation from my English teacher, an NYU alum. I had been planning to tell Jake the night of Rachel's welcome home bonfire. I never got the chance, took the coward's way out and just assumed he'd hear about it from Charlie. I just didn't realise how long that would take.

"But, I asked Charlie several times if he was seeing anyone yet, and he always said no," I wondered aloud. Embry sighed heavily.

"He fought it, for the longest time. He almost drove us nuts while doing it, too. He didn't visit Addie again until October, when he decided to stop fighting it," he supplied. _Pretty much a year since he'd seen me last. _But something still wasn't adding up.

"Wait, are you saying that Jake went, what, nine months without seeing his imprint? How is that possible? I thought it was the ultimate in starry-eyed, can't live without each other love?" I asked, feeling like I was missing something vitally important. Embry got that uncomfortable look on his face again and looked away. The conversation was over.

"Look, Bella, I've already said too much. I really hate pissing Jake off. Not only does he have the power to make me run double patrols, but he's my best friend," he pleaded. I relented, knowing how difficult I was making things for him.

"You're right, I'm sorry, forget I said anything," I said, spying Alex entering the shop to the left of us. Before she reached our table, I couldn't resist asking one more thing.

"One last question, Em, and then I'll drop it. I swear," I pleaded. He didn't answer but looked at me expectantly.

"Is... does she... Is Jake... happy?" I asked, pressing my eyes closed and fearing the answer. I didn't really know how I'd react either way. Embry's eyes darted from mine again before I could see any emotion in them. He looked around the shop, taking in the scene outside the window before finally answering.

"You've got a good life here, Bella. You should concentrate on that."

I couldn't help but notice that he hadn't answered my question.

* * *

><p>The rest of lunch had been taken up with Alex's shameless flirting, Embry's blushing, and me trying not to let it show that I was dying inside. We were currently walking back towards Embry's hotel, holding hot chocolates from my favourite street vendor. Alex always commented that one day I'd 'get the cup that the rats had visited first' from that guy, but dammit, Frank was my friend and one of the first people to be nice to me when I moved here. I had been exploring the library and spotted a tall, well built guy that I was so sure was Jacob, it ended up giving me a small panic attack. I dashed back out the doors I'd just entered on the verge of tears. Of course, it turned out the guy was named Taylor, he was Puerto Rican and had the wrong eye-colour, but the initial shock was enough. I dived behind Frank's cart and shut my eyes, half wishing I'd learned the power of teleportation. He gave me a napkin to wipe my tears, a donut to raise my blood sugar and told me that New York City was full of guys and there was no use worrying about any single one of them. Frank is a huge Yankees fan and reminds me a lot of Phil, and I'm pretty sure we've spoken every day since. The funny thing about Taylor was that I ended up waiting in line behind him that day for a computer, we struck up a conversation and actually became study buddies. Sometimes I look at him now and wonder how I ever thought he was Jacob. They don't really look alike at all.<p>

The remainder of our day with Embry consisted of giving him the Bella and Alex Tour Of NYCool – Alex's name, not mine. We'd brought him to every hideaway store, junk food vendor, even our semi-private movie theater (It's in a basement, is owned by a guy named Carl, and only operates mid-week) and pointed out every club that didn't card on the door within a four mile radius. I was loving being able to share my new life with someone from my old one, and watching Alex and Embry together was taking my mind off the dark feeling that was churning in my stomach.

"So you've _never_ had a girlfriend?" Alex was saying, absolutely horrified at what Embry admitted.

"I said never had a _serious _girlfriend, it's not like I've been celibate," he retorted, raising a smug eyebrow in my direction. I snorted in quiet laughter. None of the La Push guys were _exactly _celibate.

"But you look like an underwear model! And believe me, I know. I've dated one," she exclaimed. Embry's subtle blush made a reappearance. I hated him for being able to hide it so much better than I could. "Wait, you're not going to be paired up with some girl from a neighbouring tribe like Bella's guy are you?" she asked suddenly. Embry cleared his throat uncomfortably, knowing that I'd given her some half-cocked version of imprinting.

"Um, I don't think that's happening for me. Besides, I've never gotten serious enough with anyone to really worry about it," he explained, and I was intrigued to hear how Embry was dealing with his love life as a non-imprinted wolf. I guess things would have been much easier for Jake if he'd never met me. Still, he found_ her _after all. And it was all because of _me._

It had dawned on me some time this afternoon that_ I_ was to blame for the mess my love life was now in. Jacob hated imprinting, hated the thought of it and swore he'd fight it with every fibre of his being. Now, here he was, eternally bound to someone he'd just met. Without travelling to Hanover, Jacob would most likely never have laid eyes on Addie, but the fact was, he was there because of my selfishness and fear. The irony that my running away because of imprinting had pushed him towards his imprint was not lost on me. If I had just stayed at the bonfire, let Jake convince me to remain together, he would still be mine right now. Hell, if I'd just told him sooner that I was going to NYU, he never would have gone there. I'd shot myself in the foot and it was a burden that was all my own. I would have to watch as he carved a life out with a girl who was simply far better than me in every way. A small part of me wondered if maybe he blamed me like I was doing now.

Jacob's imprint was my fault.

There was one remaining thought that gave me comfort that my decision was for the best, though. I could never have known who Jake's imprint would be. Could I really subject myself to a life where every morning when I woke up I wondered if this would be the day he left me? Could I have children with him, build a house, create a home with someone I wasn't sure would still be there next month? Every time he went to the store for groceries, went to work or out of town I would be holding my breath until he came back.

No, I couldn't do it. I may hate myself now for my actions, knowing how things played out, but I did what was best for both of us. Addie was what was best for him.

"As for the Marky-Mark status," Embry continued, "I haven't always looked this way. I had a major, uh, growth spurt about two years ago. Suddenly, a lot of the girls who didn't give me the time of day were coming out of hiding and I guess their fake personalities were kind of a turn-off. Since then, I couldn't tie this body down to just one lucky girl. How would that be fair?" he asked, making some sort of 'player' gang sign with one hand and smirking.

"Exactly how much time have you been spending with Quil, Em? Are you joined at the hip or what?" I asked, unable to keep the smile from my face.

"Quil? Who's Quil?" Alex enquired, looking between us for the shared joke as Embry shot me a _'bitch, please' _look.

"Quil Ateara is Embry and Jake's horn-dog best friend. Believe me, if he's not hitting on you, he's either unconscious or dead," I explained.

"Nah, that's just you, Bella. You came stumbling into our lives and blew our fifteen year old minds," he replied, smiling good-naturedly in nostalgia. "Q would resent the horn-dog comment, though. According to him, he's – how did he put it? Oh yeah. 'Generous with his love meat'." Alex and I cracked up laughing.

"That is so disgusting that I actually believe it," I spluttered, gasping for breath,

"I have _got_ to meet this guy," Alex announced as soon as she could speak again.

"Careful what you wish for," Embry warned, cocking an eyebrow. I couldn't help but notice that his usual shyness was filtering away in Alex's presence. It had taken almost a month of seeing him every few days for me to get that far with him. Maybe Alex was good for him after all? She had even toned down her flirting with him in lieu of actual conversation. They seemed to be bringing out the best in each other.

"Oh, you probably will when you come home with me for the holidays," I replied to her before taking another sip of my luke-warm hot chocolate. The conversation was so good, I hadn't even gotten halfway down the cup – a first for one of Frank's magic creations. I noticed Embry's eyes light up and he turned to Alex.

"You're coming to Forks for Christmas?" he asked, excitement evident in his tone. Alex smiled and I swear if I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't have believed it, but her pale cheeks tinged pink for a fraction of a second. Alex _liked_ Embry, and not in a purely physical way, or not just because he could get her on the guest list for an upcoming gig. She had a _crush_. And I was thrilled. I had never seen her show more than a casual interest in a guy. This could mean something.

"Sure am, I'm an only child and my parents are travelling Europe at the moment, meaning I'd be alone. I _was _going to spend the Holidays with my old coot of an aunt who hates my dad and tells me every chance she gets, but I guess Bella twisted my arm," she recounted, linking an arm through mine as she finished. I smiled at her, glad that she'd agreed.

As only children, we both knew how lonely the holidays could get when everyone else seemed to be surrounded by large families. This year, though, I had a family of my own. Charlie had informed me last week that Sue Clearwater had invited us to dinner. I still found it hilarious how she and Charlie both thought their relationship was a secret. Even if she didn't have two wolves for children, who could hear whispered conversations through locked doors, the change in Charlie's voice when he spoke about Sue gave it away. I was sure that Christmas dinner was an experiment in how the two families came together, and I was hoping everything would go smoothly for them. Embry smiled at Alex softly.

"Maybe I'll see you then?" he asked. She beamed in return.

"I'd like that," was her reply. I made a mental note to ask what had happened with _Pierre_ later.

As we turned the corner on to the street Embry's hotel was on, I was still giggling at his impression of Sam, complete with surly, Alpha-glower and stiff arms. Alex froze in her tracks and caught my attention immediately. She sent me a look of sympathy as I searched for the cause of her reaction. There, on the front steps of the hotel, was Jacob, his jacket open and Addie safely tucked inside, facing him. They were both wearing winter hats and sharing sweet kisses, obviously oblivious to the December chill and their small audience. My stomach muscles clenched painfully; it just wasn't something I was ready to witness. I saw the tender way in which he held her, how she looked so delicate in his strong embrace and the contented smile he wore in between the light pecks he left on her perfect lips. It looked like a commercial for The freakin' Gap. My feet refused to move.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed before I felt a large, warm hand snake its way into my own, and squeeze gently. I tore my gaze away from the object of my heartbreak to look at Embry's face, which was looking at me with such pity, I felt like throwing myself in front of the nearby traffic. He tugged on my hand encouragingly, and I forced my stiff legs forward. I could do this, I'd faced worse. _Then how come it feels like I haven't?_

As we neared the happy couple, Alex cleared her throat loudly, gaining both their attention. Addie had the decency to look slightly embarrassed, whereas Jake simply looked peeved. His gaze darted immediately to mine and Embry's entwined hands, and the look he gave his brother was indecipherable. They both looked into each others eyes, and Jacob's glare softened as he nodded subtly. Not quite understanding what had passed between them, but reluctant to cause further trouble, I tried to loosen my grip. Embry was having none of it, and squeezed tighter. A thick cloud of steam made its way from Jacob's parted lips as he sighed. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought he was upset – but Jake was imprinted, and that meant they didn't care about anyone else, _right_?

Diffusing the awkward tension as always, Alex strode up the steps towards Jake, and held out her hand.

"Alex Morgan, Bella's best friend, confidante, and partner in crime. Well, actually, she's more like my sidekick," she deadpanned. "I've heard a lot about you, Jacob. Glad to put a face to the name, " she said, as if she hadn't seen the numerous photos of him I had stashed in one of his old shoe boxes in my dorm. His lips twitched at the sides, a smile threatening to break through before he pulled it back in and fixed an expression of indifference on his features. He nodded as he shook her hand firmly - he couldn't say the same about her.

"And you must be Addie," she said, focusing her attention on the amused girl and shaking her hand. "I saw you at Jitters' last night but was too busy wondering how I could mug you for your Chanel boots to say 'hi'," she smiled. Addie laughed softly in response.

"Nice to meet you, Alex. Maybe we could go shopping together now that you've decided against a life of crime," she joked. I heard Embry sigh deeply beside me and turn his attention towards the passing cars.

"Oh I don't know, that your luggage over there? You could just go back to giving Jacob here his dental exam and we'll say no more about it," she winked. I took that as my queue to interrupt. I knew Alex well enough to know that her overzealous friendliness was about to make way for what she did best – passive aggressive insults.

"_Sooo_, what time are you guys flying out at?" I asked, picking the first subject out of my brain that I could.

"The guys' is at 7.30 and my flight's at eight," Addie volunteered.

"Oh, you're flying separately?" I enquired. Addie nodded in response.

"They're headed back to Washington and I've got to get back to - "

"New Hampshire, yeah, Em said you go to Dartmouth. That's awesome, it's a great school," I interrupted, smiling tightly. I didn't miss how Jake's stare darted back to Embry and one brow furrowed in annoyance. I felt Embry shrug beside me before speaking.

"Well, looks like our ride's here," he observed, gesturing to the cab that was pulling up to the pavement. The guys got to work filling the trunk with bags. I couldn't help but notice that for only three people, there were six pieces of luggage. I picked out Jake's old book-bag, obviously filled with clothes amongst it, and a green, canvas duffel bag that I guessed was Embry's. Everything else was Louis Vuitton. _Addie's got some serious money behind her._

They closed up the trunk and turned to face us again. Jacob didn't know where to look,

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys in a few weeks," I said. Jake's head shot up in question.

"You're spending Christmas with Charlie?" he asked. It was the first time he'd spoken to me directly since stomping out of the coffee shop last night. I looked directly into his eyes and nodded. I saw a tiny flicker of something before it disappeared. Was that _hope_?

"Me too," Alex piped in. "I'm an honorary Swan this Holiday season," she added, doing a small curtsey as she spoke and holding out the bottom of her fitted green woollen coat. Embry smiled warmly at her.

"So uh, yeah.. have a safe flight, guys," I finished lamely. Embry enveloped me in a warm hug as Jacob and Addie climbed into the back of the cab.

"Thanks, for everything Bella. Who knows, you girls might have a room-mate next year if you're not careful," he said with a smile. I grinned at him and found myself hoping that we would. "See you again soon, Alex," he said, turning to her and smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah, you too, Embry," was her reply.

He turned to walk around the passenger side of the cab, before stopping abruptly, sprinting back in front of Alex and kissing her softly on the cheek. He was back at the cab before either of us knew what had happened, cheeks pink and eyes downcast. He was smiling wider than I'd ever seen him. Alex was speechless as they drove down the street, and my heart was bursting for what was unfolding in front of me.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, well, well, it looks like the sweet wolf is taming the wild Alex. What do we think of their potential relationship? I think Embry could use a little love, and Alex needs to find something real. **

**What about the conversation in the sandwich shop? Is Embry hiding something big for Jake? Seems like there's more to this imprinting business than meets the eye. Next chapter is date night. Let's see if Josh can take Bella's mind of Mr and Mrs Perfect.**

**Also, I started this particular story over on Jacob Black N Pack, some of the amazing stuff over there is what inspired me. If you're a wolf girl you should definitely join. (NYT gets posted there first, by the way.)**

**I wasn't going to post this so soon but since I got some responses to the last chapter, I decided not to keep you guys waiting. **

**Hint: Reviews make me post faster, guys... ;)**


	6. What Is This, 1973?

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Six: What is this, 1973?<strong>

I was racing along the pavement towards Jitters', praying that for once my clumsiness didn't decide to make an appearance. Somehow, thankfully, the icy street seemed to be on my side. I was relieved I wouldn't have to show up to my non-date with a rip in these ridiculously expensive jeans I'd borrowed from Alex, and that I wouldn't have to explain how it happened. She could be pretty threatening when she wanted to be. I allowed her to boss me around a bit and use me as a Barbie doll since she'd informed me that, after work on Tuesday, she'd found Pierre in bed with some Freshman, I'd been asleep when she got home and I was feeling guilty for not being there for her, no matter how much she insisted she was fine. I guessed Embry had something to do with that, judging by the smile she wore any time his name was mentioned.

I was running late because, apparently, I no longer knew how to put together an outfit, and was learning new phrases like _complexion contrast_ and _classic pear shape_. The latter meant that I had an "ass that won't quit" and had to compliment it with the tightest pair of jeans I'd ever worn. It was all I could do not to turn up in sweats and be done with it, but each time I thought of backing out, my brain recalled the image of Jake kissing Addie softly at the hotel, and a new wave of determination appeared, making me want to get past the ugly stab of jealousy I was feeling.

Eventually, we'd paired the jeans with brown, knee-high boots, matching purse, and a scoop-necked, teal sweater Alice had sent me in a box of designer clothes with no return address a month ago. I was comfortable enough to feel like myself, but dressed up enough for a date. I could cover it up with my old faithful grey trenchcoat anyway. Added to the soft waves in my hair and the dark blue, smoky eyeshadow, I was feeling pretty confident.

Josh was sitting in the booth where we'd first met, with one eye on the door while furiously texting on his phone. He smiled widely when I walked in and stood up to greet me, and I instantly felt forgiven for keeping him waiting. I peeled off my coat as I approached.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," I apologised. He shook his head dismissively as we sat down.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you showed," he confessed earnestly. I could only smile in return. "The show doesn't start for another half hour anyway, and it's just down the street." He slid what looked to be a latte across the table towards me. I thanked him and took a sip.

"Cinnamon, wow, that's my favourite. How did you know?" I asked, genuinely impressed.

"I have my sources," he said, mischievously raising an eyebrow as he sipped his cappuccino. I looked behind the baked goods counter and saw Alex, deep in conversation with one of the other waitresses, Shannon. I guessed she'd been his snitch.

"You look beautiful, by the way. I've never seen you in civilian clothes before," he quipped, nodding towards my outfit.

"What, slate-gray t-shirts and blue aprons don't do it for you?" I teased. I was enjoying the easy banter between us."You look great too, by the way." And he really did. He was wearing a fitted, purple and black plaid shirt, rolled up to reveal his muscular, lightly tanned forearms. This was over a white shirt, black jeans and the same sneakers as before. He had the effortlessly-cool look down.

"I would have dressed up more if this was a real date," he joked, tugging on one side of his shirt collar. "But since it's not..." he trailed off, giving me a sidelong glance.

"Maybe it could be, depends on how much fun I have," I countered, arching an eyebrow in what I hoped was a flirtatious gesture and didn't look like I was having some sort of stroke.

"Challenge accepted," he smiled. "So where are you from, Bella?" he began. This was the part I hated, giving the convoluted story of my upbringing.

"Short answer? Phoenix, Arizona and most recently, Forks, Washington," I answered, taking another sip of my latte.

"Whoa, long way from home," he commented as I nodded in agreement. "Why is that the short answer?"

"My mom's kind of a free spirit, we moved around a lot when I was a kid. I moved to Forks to live with my dad when I was seventeen," I volunteered. He nodded in interest. "What about you? Where does Josh Garrity hail from?"

"Chicago, Illinois, all my life," he said proudly. As soon as he said it, I placed the light twang I detected in his accent. "I don't have much of an interesting back story. Two little brothers, Mom's a nurse and my dad's a cop," he informed.

"No way, my dad's a cop too. Chief of Police in Forks," I smiled. _Charlie would approve._

"Ouch, I feel sorry for whoever tried to date _you _in high school, the interrogations are bad enough when they're from your _own_ dad,_" _he winced. I laughed softly, thinking how little of a threat Charlie posed to either of my boyfriends.

"He was fond of exerting his influence, alright. But he's a teddy bear underneath it all," I smiled fondly at the thought of my father. "So do you miss Chicago?" I asked, feeling like I wanted to learn a little more about this guy.

"Yeah, I do. Mostly I miss my little brothers though, I mean, Daniel's just discovered girls, and I'm missing out on a lot of ribbing, He's so easily embarrassed, too. It's just not the same when I can't see him turning beet red for myself. Brian's still just a kid, but there's times when I'm stressed with deadlines that I wish I could just go play catch with him in the park, like I used to back home," he said, smiling sadly. "Plus, there's always mom's cooking. She makes the greatest chicken pot pie in the world," he said, eyes widening.

"Oh yeah? I make a pretty sweet chicken pot pie myself, not that it would rival your mom's, but maybe I'll cook it for you some time."

I really did want to. Watching the expressions on his face as he talked about his family had melted my heart, and truthfully, it was always something I had found was such an important quality in guys; Edward, with his perfect, mix-and-match cookie-cutter bunch and Jake with his extended, hectic pack kinship. Family was important to me, and if I was going to give anyone else a shot, it had to be important to them too.

"Awesome," he grinned. "So you're a bit of a cook, huh?" he asked, interest obviously piqued.

"Yeah, I guess you could say it's my stress reliever. You know something's up if I'm holed up in the kitchen," I informed. "If there's cupcakes and brownies, you should probably run for cover," I quipped and he laughed softly.

"I can see how that would work, I mean it's nice to get lost in your own head for a while," he mused. "So do I get to taste any of these cupcakes?"

"Well if you've ever had the chocolate mint ones from here, those are my creation," I said, proudly, It was something I'd been trying out, and our owner, Mrs Michaels, loved them so much she put them on the menu.

"No way, those things are like crack!" he gasped. I giggled at his exaggeration and shook my head. "No really, there was one day last semester, my room-mate and I were extremely hungover, we came in here for the first time ever and cleaned out the display. They're amazing," he gushed.

"Well, I'm glad you like them," I smiled, playing with the rim of my nearly-empty cup. He smiled sheepishly at his outburst and cleared his throat. His phone chimed, indicating a text message but he made no move to retrieve it. I looked at it on the table, then back to him but he simply shook his head, meaning he wasn't letting it interrupt.

"So judging how your head was buried in that book the other day, I'm guessing.. English major?" he ventured.

"Guilty. Sophomore year," I replied.

"Me too, Junior," he smiled. _Wow, perfect._

"Great, think you can let me plagiarise some of your critical analyses for Professor Richards?" I joked. He laughed whole-heartedly.

"If only I could. I see why you agreed to go out with me now."

"I didn't think you were reading Ulysses for fun," I confessed.

"You'd be correct. God, Richards is a dragon, isn't he? _'I'm not running a pre-school here, fellow scholars...',_" he mocked, doing a spot-on impression of the professor's nasally Brooklyn accent. My latte nearly escaped back out my mouth as I took a sip.

"Oh god, and the suede loafers with the long hair...what is this, 1973? There's snow on the ground!" I laughed and was delighted to see him join in. Suddenly, Josh fell silent and I looked up to see his eyes widened at something over my shoulder. His lips were pressed in a thin line and he was trying desperately not to let a chuckle escape.

"Shit, Bella, look," he said, nodding his head behind me. I followed his gesture to see none other than Professor Richards at one of the free-standing tables, not looking at us but with his eyes downcast, marking papers. He was close enough that he could probably hear what we had said, depending how hard he was concentrating. I looked back at Josh, wide-eyed and we both burst out laughing once again. This time, it was loud enough for Professor Richards to look up. Josh stood, held out his hand, and yanked me out of the booth. I stumbled to right myself as Josh shot the Professor a salute and said "Evening, Professor" before muttering "you dirty, dirty hippie," under his breath. I cracked up again as he guided us towards the exit, pulling our jackets on as we went.

We'd been talking for so long that we were now late for the performance, and by the time we'd sneaked in the back, we were thoroughly lost in the original storyline. It was probably for the best anyway, since it seemed to be an extremely depressing tale of prostitution and runaway teens, and our light-hearted mood from the coffee-shop hadn't dissipated. We took to making up our own back story for the characters, laughing and snickering from our place in the back row, earning a few death-glares from the other audience members. It was the final straw when Josh's phone began to ring and we were politely, but firmly, asked to leave.

We decided not to let the rest of the evening go to waste, and opted to sit in for pizza at what Josh insisted was the best pizzeria in New York. I had to admit, not being a huge fan, that it was utterly delicious. We kept up our light-hearted banter throughout the meal and I excused myself to the bathroom before dessert. Examining myself in the mirror, I was surprised to see that I had a permanent smile gracing my lips. I mused at how care-free the night had been with Josh, and how little I'd thought about Jacob. He and Addie were always there, in the back of my mind, but I promised myself to give Josh my full attention, no compromises. As I exited the ladies' room, I hesitated when I heard Josh's voice carrying on one side of a conversation outside the door. It sounded heated, and Josh seemed to be losing patience with the muffled male voice on the line.

"Yes, no, I can't... on a date.. Yes, right now. What more do you want me to do? That's not fair. Yes, I got it, but I'm going to need the second part before the Holidays. I do trust you, I'm just saying...Yeah, I know, okay. I have to go, I'll call you when I get home," he said, before hanging up. _What the hell? _Was Josh in some sort of trouble? Or worse still, was someone in trouble with him? I walked out of the bathroom as he was putting his phone back in his pocket. He smiled warmly.

"Hey, sorry, my dad called and he has a tendency to go on a bit, ready for dessert?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I guessed it made sense that he was talking to his father. I mean, he hadn't spoken of him as fondly as he had his mom and brothers. I berated myself for always being suspicious. I pondered that my 'fight or flight' response must be broken somehow – I was constantly blushing at inopportune moments, yet didn't know when to run away from danger when it was _literally _telling me that it wanted my blood, or that I could end up horribly maimed or scarred. Now, I was out for a date with a sweet, funny guy and I felt like I should be running the opposite way. I frowned slightly, frustrated at myself. I took a breath and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I smiled trustingly at him.

"Sure, you're going to need to tell me what's good though," I said, taking his hand and heading back to our table.

Two hours later, he was walking me back to my dorm room, keeping me entertained with stories of the prank wars he'd been involved in during freshman year.

"So yeah, it became a covert mission to steal bras from the girls' dorm. They do make the best water balloon sling- shots," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Don't lie, you were all a bunch of pervs, digging through girls' underwear drawers," I giggled. He gasped in mock offence.

"You think so little of me?"

"No, you're just a _guy._." I laughed. Before I knew it, we were at my door. "Well, this is me," I said, internally cringing that I'd used a line from every rom-com of the last fifteen years. He looked at the door, seemingly disappointed the walk home wasn't longer.

"Wow, that was quick. Maybe we should have walked slower," he smiled.

"We'll know for next time," I commented.

"So there's a next time?" he said, inching closer. I could feel the heat of his body in front of me, and his breath was warming my face. I found my gaze drawn to his lips, they looked full and soft, yet still masculine.

I wanted to know what they felt like.

I nodded softly before his hand cupped my cheek and he pressed his mouth to mine. There was no fever, no hunger, no _need_. It was just... _nice_. Kissing Josh was normal and pleasant, and I think part of me had been looking for that. If I had felt that... that spark I was used to, that indescribable _want_, I think I would have run a mile. What was happening was just human, and there was nothing wrong with that.

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><p><strong>AN: So, is the jury still out on Josh? Do we love him? Hate him? And what's the deal with that phone call? Is Bella being too suspicious or too trusting? He certainly seems to make her smile, and they have lots in common. What's wrong with that?**

**Next chapter is part one of Bella and Alex's trip to Forks. Another beloved wolf will be making an appearance. Any guesses who it could be?**

**I have a looong day at work ahead of me so you know what would be nice to come home to? Reviews!**


	7. The Trouble With Naked Girls

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven: The Trouble With Naked Girls<strong>

Josh and I reluctantly agreed to postpone our second date until after the Holidays. We both had a lot of cramming for finals to do but compromised by visiting the library together. It wasn't ideal, since we couldn't really talk, but we soon got around that by passing notes like high-schoolers and taking frequent breaks to raid the vending machines. We had four study dates before the exams started and he kissed me every day when we first met up and every evening before saying goodbye. His kisses weren't tilting my world on its axis, but his caresses were soft, I enjoyed the feeling of his hands tangled in my hair and I took comfort in the growing closeness we had.

Finals went well – Josh had proven to be an invaluable resource and was able to help me concentrate on which sections deserved the most study. I repaid him by proof-reading the practice essays he'd written about the few books on his assigned reading that I was familiar with. I felt like I was getting a head start on next year, and found I was getting excited about it. I really was still a nerd underneath.

Of course, Alex had to know every single detail about our budding relationship. She couldn't understand why I wasn't spending every night in Josh's apartment, getting to know him more, ahem, _intimately_. I wasn't sure how to tell her that I was too nervous to go that far, since I hadn't gotten to know _anyone _that intimately.

Jacob and I had been waiting until the timing was right, all the while content with exploring and _feeling_ our way through the newly physical part of our relationship. Fevered make-out sessions in my truck, at the work bench in his garage, at the beach, on his couch, on _my_ couch...I think we'd christened every place that was significant to us at some point or another. I'd had no idea how our bodies would crave closeness and contact, and a lot of the time we were terrible company to be around. Jake told me once that his wolf was growing increasingly fond of me, and I attributed that partially to the force of our physical connection, the other part being that Jake could reduce me to jelly with his hands alone. We had been pretty close to taking the final step in physical intimacy before I left. Of course, Jacob never pressured or prodded, always his patient self despite the fact that his frustration was two-fold when you considered the wolf's apparent need for me. I did realise that I was eighteen and still a virgin, but I felt that my time with Edward had almost set me back a year, and mentally, I felt Jacob's age when it came to sex. I'm not a prude – Jacob's and my explorations had taught me that sex was definitely something that I was going to enjoy, I just wanted to feel ready. I wasn't sure how I felt now about the fact that I wasn't ever going to be taking that next step with Jake.

Part of me wanted to just get it over with. What was the point in all that waiting for nothing?

The evening before Alex and I were due to fly to Washington, she was picking up our paychecks from the coffee shop. I answered my door to Josh wearing a Santa Claus hat and his trademark, sexy, I'm-up-to-something smile I'd gotten accustomed to. It had only been a week, but I felt like we were getting to know each other pretty quickly.

"You know, my dad threatens carol singers with his rifle," I teased, he laughed huskily and drew me into a one-armed hug. It was only when I pulled back that I realised he was carrying a small paper bag with snowflakes on it in his free hand. He held it out to me and beamed, "Merry Christmas, Short-stuff."

"What? Oh, Josh... I didn't get you-," I began, but he just smiled and kissed me on my reddening cheek.

"Don't even say it, it's only been a week, and, well, we haven't even established what this-" he gestured a mittened hand between the two of us,"-is. I just found this, and I knew it was your favourite and I had to give it to you." He shook the bag again for me to take it, and I reluctantly did. Inside, was a beautiful, hard-backed edition of _Wuthering Heights._ The title was embossed in gold on the maroon cover, and the pages were also edged with the same gold. It looked genuinely antique and precious.

"Oh my gosh," I breathed, "Josh, it's beautiful." I stroked the cover and opened the pages to breathe in the old-book smell. On the title page he'd written a short note.

"_To Bella,_

_May our story be long and varied as this one, and may our ending be happy and hopeful. _

_Merry Christmas,_

_J.G."_

I smiled softly as I traced his neat handwriting with my finger. "I love it, Josh. How did you know it was my favourite?" I couldn't for the life of me recall ever having told him, then again we did discuss literature a lot, I could have slipped it in somewhere. As before, he just gave me his mischievous smile and cryptically answered "I have my sources." I was probably going to have to talk to Alex about conspiring with him behind my back. Coffee was one thing, but I couldn't tolerate with being showered with gifts, especially expensive-looking ones like this.

Just then, she arrived in the hallway outside our room, a knowing smile on her lips as she looked at both Josh and I in turn. Yeah, this was definitely her doing.

"Hey, if it isn't the happy couple.." she chirped. She had been in the best mood all day anticipating our trip to Forks. I wished I could have shared in her excitement, but then I didn't have a sweet, sexy wolf waiting to win over my heart.

"Hey Alex, were the paycheck's ready?"

"Yep," she said, popping the 'p', "It even feels like we got a bonus! Mamma's gettin' a new pair of shoes!" Her smile was beaming as she shook the envelopes like a fan. Abruptly she stopped and raised her eyebrows and jerked her head towards Josh. She wanted an introduction, and I laughed thinking of the lengths they were going to to pretend she hadn't been giving him classes in _Bella 101_. If I didn't know better I'd almost believe they'd never spoken.

"Sorry, where are my manners? Alex Morgan, Josh Garrity. Josh, Alex," I announced, waving my hand between the two of them. They smiled and greeted each other politely.

"Well, anyway, I gotta go. I leave for Chi-Town tonight," he said, rocking back on his heels and looking around him innocently. Alex took the hint and skipped into action.

"Um, I better start counting my millions. Nice meeting you, Josh," she said, waving as she shimmied past me and into the room, shutting the door and leaving us alone. I smirked at Josh's look of bewilderment.

"She's kind of like a tornado," he commented. "She just whirls in, leaves an impact and she's gone." I thought it was the most accurate description of Alex I'd heard yet. I laughed and nodded in agreement. Josh took my hand and kissed me softly.

"So, you leave in the morning, right?" he asked, I answered in the affirmative and a small frown appeared. "You don't have any old boyfriends I should worry about trying to steal you back, do you?" he said jokingly. He seemed to be searching my eyes for his answer when they widened in surprise.

"Uh, no, I don't think so," I stammered. It was a simple question but the clarity of Jacob's face when it appeared in my mind's eye almost made me stumble. "Forks is ancient history, everyone's moved on," I said, offering a smile and squeezing his hand in reassurance. I think I needed it more than he did. He seemed appeased though, and left a light kiss on my lips.

"Good, I'd hate to come back after the Holidays to you kicking me to the curb," he smiled,

"No chance."

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><p>Charlie was pacing anxiously in the arrival's lounge at SeaTac when Alex and I spotted him. His face melted into a warm smile and he surprised me when he wrapped me in a tight hug. Seems absence made my dad affectionate.<p>

"Hey, Dad, I want you to meet Alex, my room-mate," I introduced. Alex gave her kindest smile and greeted him.

"Nice to meet you, Chief Swan," she beamed. "Bella speaks very highly of you." Charlie turned slightly pink around the ears, clearly charmed already.

"Please, call me Charlie, it's only Chief Swan when I'm on the clock or if I don't like ya," he joked.

"Okay, Charlie," she replied, smiling brightly.

"You girls hungry? I figured we could grab something to eat in Port Angeles on the way home," he suggested. We agreed wholeheartedly.

We were having a brief catch up over our Chinese food when I noticed that Charlie had mentioned Sue's name for the fourth time since we'd sat down. I couldn't resist seizing the moment to question him.

"So Dad, you and Sue Clearwater have been spending an awful lot of time together," I asked innocently. Charlie's blush could have lit the whole Eastern sea-board as he cleared his throat nervously.

"She's a good woman," was all he said.

"Is that all you're giving me?" I prodded as he glanced nervously at a snickering Alex. "Don't worry, Alex can keep a secret." She nodded fervently.

"Sue and I are friends, we both have kids the same age and we've known each other for years," he said finally.

"So you wouldn't be... more than friends?" I teased. "Because, I mean, that would be okay, great, even," I hinted. He shot me a knowing smile.

"When did you get so perceptive?" he asked.

"Around the time you got so bad at being secretive," I countered. He smiled in response.

"We're not really sure what to call it yet. Let's just say two old friends keeping each other company," he conceded. I decided to let him off the hook.

"Okay, Dad. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Bells, he whispered, and we ate in companionable silence for a few minutes before Charlie got his revenge.

"So Billy told me you met Jake in New York last week," he ventured. I paused in my chewing to give Alex a sidelong glance. She was no help at all.

"Uh, yeah I met him, along with Embry and Jake's girlfriend," I said, shooting him a pointed look. _Stop getting your hopes up, Dad, Jake and I are over_. He grunted in reply.

"You found out about that, huh? Wasn't sure what to tell you, you know you never really said what happened between you and Jake that summer," he prodded.

"I told you, Dad, I was moving too far away, I had to make a clean break, and Jake's got a lot of responsibilities here." He looked at me for a long moment, clearly not believing a word I said, and nodded slowly.

"So you're not planning to go see him while you're home?" he asked, hopefully. I sighed.

"Wasn't planning on it, dad. Besides, he's probably busy with Addie," I replied, subtly reminding him that Jake wasn't on the market any more. _And never will be._

"Huh, yeah. Nice girl. Seems a little high maintenance, though. Didn't figure Jake would have much time for that type," he pondered. My curiosity was piqued instantly.

"High maintenance? Like how?" I asked, failing to sound uninterested.

"I don't know, Billy said she comes from money, and it shows," he supplied, raising a brow conspiratorially. I froze at that. There was something definitely up if Billy didn't like Jacob's imprint. I would have thought the Alpha finding his soul-mate would be a cause for celebration, but it seemed something was amiss and I hated feeling like I didn't know the whole story. God, this was like pulling teeth.

"I can see that, the girl was wearing more designer labels than front row at Paris Fashion week," Alex chimed in, twirling her noodles around her fork. It wasn't something I'd noticed myself, but Alex had an eye for fashion. I dreaded the day she and Alice Cullen crossed paths. I raised my eyebrows at Charlie to continue.

"Well," he began, pausing to swallow, "Her father's this huge property developer in the Mid-West, has done pretty well for himself, so she grew up rich. Billy said she and Jake had this huge fight when she came to visit, but he wouldn't say what it was about. Billy suspects she wasn't impressed with the Res, her being only half Native, and all. Don't think she'd ever set foot on one," he said.

Was this true? Was Addie a snob? She hadn't seemed the type last week, but then I'd spent, what, ten minutes, total, talking to her? It seemed odd that Jacob would even be able to fight with his imprint, but then, he was fiercely proud of his heritage and the Reservation. If she'd insulted that, he would have been livid. Hell, I was pretty irritated that she hadn't appreciated the life that Jacob could offer her. She didn't know how lucky she was.

"Bad move on her part," I frowned, as Charlie nodded agreeably.

* * *

><p>As we pulled up to our house, I took in the sight of a small, green hatchback parked behind my truck.<p>

"Looks like Sue came to welcome you home," he commented, answering my confused stare. I was barely out of the car when I was almost tackled to the ground in a heated embrace and spun around in circles.

"Seth! Can't breathe," I spluttered. It really was like being welcomed home by a puppy.

"Sorry, Bella," he said sheepishly, steadying me on my feet. I noticed instantly that he now had a deep, masculine voice that sounded almost identical to Harry's. "Guess I just missed ya'," he said grinning widely before turning his attention to my left. "Hey, Alex. Man, what did you do to Embry? He's like a excited little puppy, and from me, that's saying something," he volunteered. I laughed as she simply stared at him, speechless. It wasn't often someone else made a bigger entrance than she did. Finally she seemed to find her voice.

"Holy crap, is everyone out here built like a freakin' linebacker?" she spluttered. It seemed I had found Alex's one weakness – Quileute men.

"Just we lucky few," he smiled, jutting his chin out and stuffing his hands in the pockets of his cut-offs. He had filled out considerably more in the past year, but was still lean and athletic and everything from his posture to the shape of his jaw screamed 'grown up'. Thankfully though, his smile was the same kind one as always, and most importantly his eyes were still as wide and bright as the kid I first met at Billy's. He was wearing a shirt, surprisingly, which I guessed was at Sue's insistence. I was slightly grateful, I didn't think Alex could handle shirtless pack members yet.

"So... Embry's mentioned me, huh?" she fell into step beside him as he carried some of our luggage. He shot me a conspirational look before he answered.

"It's not so much what he says.. but I know his mind's been on you a lot," he said, winking so subtly that Alex missed it as she picked her way up the front steps in her heeled ankle boots. I snickered quietly, enjoying the private joke.

"Good to know, it's nice having a snitch on the inside... Seth was it?" she asked, cocking her head to one side and squinting. It was a gesture that, on me would have looked stupid, but on her was curiously adorable. He dropped our bags inside the front door and shook her hand furiously, just realising that, despite the fact he knew everything about her that Embry did, they were supposed to be strangers.

"Yeah, Seth, Seth Clearwater, Bella's future step brother," he announced as Sue stepped out of the kitchen. She shot him a withering look and he just grinned brightly in return.

"Look, Mom, Bella and her friend are here," he said, deftly redirecting focus and pushing past her to inspect the contents of the fridge. I gave Sue a hug and made my introductions as we sat down for coffee.

Alex and I were unpacking some of our stuff in my room a while later when Seth appeared at the door with his hands over his eyes.

"Knock, knock," he announced, slowly entering the room, "If you're in your underwear or naked, tell me now or I will be in _so _much trouble," he warned. We both laughed in response.

"Both fully clothed, Seth, why would we be naked?" I asked, genuinely perplexed. He just shrugged, pulling his hands away.

"I don't know, isn't that what girls do when they hang out alone in bedrooms?" he asked earnestly.

"Hang out in our underwear?" Alex asked, her voice breaking with laughter. Seth nodded seriously.

"Yeah, and put lotion on each other," he said a smile pulling on the corner of his mouth.

"Seth, either we need to have a talk about cutting off your internet connection, or you've been listening to Paul and Quil too much," I said, shaking my head in mirth.

"Don't destroy my dreams, Bella, what did I ever do to you?" he said, sticking his bottom lip out like a petulant child. I giggled and reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Seth, promise me you'll never change?", I said. He grinned wholeheartedly in response. I moved back to continue unpacking when I asked him if there was a reason he was in my room.

"Oh, well I wanted to tell you guys about the bonfire on the Res tonight. Wanna come?" he said hopefully.

I cast a look towards Alex who was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Clearly all she'd heard him say was '_do you want to go see Embry tonight?' _I sighed, not sure how to let them both down gently.

"Who's gonna be there?" I asked, hoping it would lead me into my excuse.

"Usual suspects, you can meet Vanessa," he smiled proudly.

"Vanessa?" I smiled, "Who might that be?" He smiled sheepishly.

"You didn't think I'd stay single forever, did you Bella? It's okay, I'm still your Seth, although I'm sorry I can't date you if you're going to be my new sister," he grinned. I threw a throw pillow at him and laughed.

"Seriously though, the bonfire? School let out today so everyone's dying to party. Emily's been cooking and baking non-stop," he said.

"I'm not willing to intrude, and I'm not sure I'd be completely wanted there, Seth," I said, waiting for him to capture my meaning. He looked at me as if I grew an extra head until realisation dawned on his face. He snorted softly and frowned.

"Oh," he said. "Well.. Addie's spending Christmas with her family, just so you know. There'd be no intrusions," he began, "And believe me, you're wanted," he said pointedly. I frowned at him but before I could ask, Sue called him downstairs to leave.

"Coming, Mom!" he yelled, before turning back to us and saying "I think she's gonna let me drive!", eyes widening in excitement. "See you girls at eight, dress warm!" he called before dashing down the stairs.

"Let him drive?" Alex asked, "How old is that guy?"

"Seth? He'd be what, sixteen now?" I pondered. Alex's eyes widened in shock.

"Okay, honey, if the guys looked like _that _when I was in high school, I'd be a bigger slut than I already was," she said.

"Was?" I teased. She threw a throw pillow in my smug smile before I could block it. She turned back to our pile of clothes on the bed and frowned.

"Okay, what do we have that's warm and says 'I'm cold, but I'll still let you take my clothes off'?"

I giggled loudly and replied: "If that exists, I'm sure you'll find it somewhere in there."

"It can wait, first we have to find something that says 'we broke up, and you moved on, but I want you to regret it'," she said, smiling cheekily.

"I do not need something like that," I scolded as she started hunting through my clothes.

"Please, are you trying to tell me you don't want to see Jacob Black sweat a little?"

And image of Jacob from two summers ago popped into my head. He was in his garage, tuning up my truck in the middle of what was an extremely rare mini-heat wave. The whole pack had been complaining about the weather and Jacob hadn't worn a shirt in a week. I remembered watching the muscles in his back rippling, beads of sweat gathering on his shoulder blades, making him positively glisten. I found myself getting turned on just looking at him. Jacob had sniffed the air, turned to me and what had followed was one of the hottest make-out sessions we'd ever had on the broken down couch in the corner. I gulped inwardly at the memory.

"Okay, maybe just a little."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeesh, Bella sure does have some pleasant memories!**

**So is Josh a sweetheart or what? He seems to know Bella so well aready. Seems like he could make a nice boyfriend.**

**What about Charlie's gossip? I knew his and Billy's nattering would be good for something. Addie made a big mistake slagging off Jacob's home. Silly girl, but he seems to have forgiven her. Perks of being an imprint, I guess. **

**So who was thrilled to see Seth make an appearance? I adored him in the books, and Boo Boo Stewart is about the cutest thing ever. It was actually kind of strange to write him older, it feels like he should be fourteen forever.**

**Next chapter is the bonfire. I promise some Alex/Embry cuteness and a certain Alpha who hasn't spoken much yet. Will he be a little more talkative without Addie around?**

**Can't wait to read your reviews!**


	8. The Bonfire Part One

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight: The Bonfire Part One<strong>

"Bella, your leg is shaking...Bella? Bella!" Alex flipped the volume on the stereo up to full and I slammed on the breaks.

"Alex, what the hell?" I yelled. She shot me a look of exasperation.

"You haven't said a word since we pulled out of your drive way, I just know you're over-thinking this."

"I'm not over-thinking anything," I retorted. I just realised that the last time I was in La Push was at a bonfire, with the same people, it's like I hit pause on my life and now I'm resuming," I explained.

"...And that's not over-thinking. Right.."

"Shut up, Alexandria." She narrowed her eyes at me in annoyance.

"Okay, tell me why you're so worried, what are these people like?"

"They're amazing," I said, smiling wistfully. "But I let them down, and that's why I'm worried."

"You think they won't accept you back?" she asked, "After meeting Embry and Seth, I can't really see that happening."

"Kind of, but more than anything, I'm afraid they will. I deserve to be yelled at, frozen out. I left without saying goodbye," I said, feeling a lump form in my throat as I thought of everyone I left behind.

"Tell me about them," she said, and I could tell it was more for my benefit than hers. I sighed as I began.

"There was thirteen of their, um, group when I left, including the guys and some of their girlfriends. The group's always expanding." I could see Alex's confused frown from the corner of my vision. "The tribe's really close knit, so a lot of the young people hang out together and are encouraged by the council of elders to help out around the res," I lied. It was something I'd heard Sam tell outsiders before and decided that keeping their explanation was probably for the best.

"How about some names?" Alex asked. She was trying to calm me down by having me concentrate. I was surprised to find it was working and started in order.

"Let's see, there's Sam and his, uh, fiancee, Emily. They're the oldest and kind of the mom and dad of the group. Sam used to organise their activities but Jake took over just before I left," I supplied. I was partly true. Jacob had come to me in the night, almost twitching with excitement that Sam had asked him to consider taking over the Alpha role. I remembered the look in his eyes when he told me that, with me by his side, he felt strong enough to shoulder the responsibility. I tried not to think about how he did all those months he was alone.

"Sam was kind of indifferent to me at first, but once I met Emily, and she and I became friends, he warmed up to me a lot," I recalled, Alex nodded as she watched the scenery go by.

"It's so green out here. It's beautiful," she mused.

"It really is," I replied, just as I caught a flash of fur moving along the tree line. Someone was making sure we got there safely. I smiled. "Then there's Jared and Kim, they're your ultimate young couple in love," I explained. "Jared's really fun, quite sarcastic, and Kim's a sweetheart, but she kind of tends to blurt out the truth a lot. She has no filter," I laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there was this one time, we were all at the beach and the girls were talking about swimwear. You know, bikinis, styles, shapes, girl stuff. Somehow, that conversation turned to underwear, and Kim volunteers that Jared had worn her panties to the last tribal meeting," I laughed. "I thought back seeing her that night and she couldn't stop snickering, her face was practically purple. Jared couldn't believe she'd told everyone since he'd hid it so well and stormed off," I laughed.

"Sounds like a sweet couple," Alex commented, grinning, and I nodded in agreement, encouraged to tell her more about my friends.

"Then there's Paul. It took a long time for Paul and I to become friends. It was actually just because I helped him win a bet against Jared and Embry that he warmed to me. The guys were trying to fleece him out of fifty bucks, until I called them out on it. He was like an amazing big brother after that. He's an asshole most of the time, but he's dating Jacob's sister now so I'm sure she keeps him on a tight leash," I mused. I realised I was curious to see the dynamics of Rachel and Paul's relationship, since I'd bailed too early to see it develop. Rachel had a strong personality, and I was wondering if it had dominated Paul's or they simply butted heads.

"You've met Embry, I guess, and Jake," I said, counting off the wolves in order of phasing in my head. "I don't want you to judge Jacob simply on how he was in New York. He's not like that at all," I bargained.

"He did seem kind of... stoic?" she replied choosing her words carefully. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Part of that is to do with the job he took over. He has to be the grown-up a lot in a group of kids, but you know as well as I do that it's mostly to do with me," I supplied, sadly.

"Well, tell me the Jacob you knew." I grinned at the opportunity.

"_My_ Jake is the funniest person I've ever met. Back when I couldn't muster the energy to so much as smile at anyone, he had me doubled over in laughter," I smiled, recalling the numerous laughing fits we'd endured. "He's patient as hell, and he can fix anything. I mean anything, and if he doesn't know how, he won't stop until he learns it," I said. I knew Alex didn't quite get my double meaning. "He's fiercely protective too. If someone so much as looks at a person he loves the wrong way, he'll do something about it. He's developed a slight temper since he got older, but he's got amazing self-control," I said, thinking of how impressed the pack was at Jacob's hold on his wolf abilities. "He's got a smile that lights up a room. I mean it, if I was ever feeling shitty, all Jacob had to do was crack a joke and smile at me and BAM! Butterflies in my stomach. I don't think he even realises the effect he has on women, which makes him all the more endearing." Alex smiled at what was probably a dreamy look on my face. "What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just...you look different when you talk about him. Like you've got this light inside of you. It glows," she explained. I was a little surprised she was speaking so candidly – Alex was usually all jokes and teasing when it came to relationships. I nodded at her observations.

"That's Jacob. He was my light and my sunshine, I think he always will be. I guess after all this time he still makes me glow," I said softly.

"Then why won't you fight for him?"

"Because it's a fight I'll never win, and it would take me down with it," I said, thinking of Leah and how destroyed she was in the aftermath of Sam. "I know when I'm beaten." Alex sighed, still not understanding but respecting my decision.

"So you're moving on?" she smiled softly.

"Moving on."

* * *

><p>My heart lurched as I made the turn to park by the beach. I picked up the box of cupcakes I'd brought – store-bought, since I didn't have time to bake- and took a deep breath.<p>

The rest of our drive had consisted of me informing Alex of the other members of the pack.

Somewhere along the way, we'd come to the conclusion that if I was going to truly move on with Josh, I'd have to get some closure with Jake. I was still feeling guilty over leaving him (and possibly being the cause of his imprint, but I wasn't going to tell anyone that), so I was going to get him alone, tonight, and apologise.

I kicked the door of my truck closed and reorganised the box in my hands. Just as we stepped on to the sand, a shadow fell over me, and I squinted in the low torch light to make out who it was.

"You know, the whole point of escaping from somewhere usually means you don't come strolling back whenever you feel like it."

"Leah Clearwater, as I live and breathe. You're still sweetness and light, as always," I said, confident that Leah was one person who was in my corner.

"And you've lost the stutter," she smiled.

"Uh, that was actually just around you. You were a scary bitch, you know."

"Still am," she said proudly." But I don't think I need to waste my talents on you anymore, Swan."  
>"Aren't I relieved," I muttered. Leah turned to Alex.<p>

"Well, Red, you must be Alex, the girl that's got Embry's panties in a twist. Nice to meet you," she said, as if she didn't know. Alex smiled brightly in return.

"Nice to meet you too, although suddenly I wish I'd worn heels," she joked, kicking out her biker boot before turning back to me. "Seriously, did we shrink a foot on the flight over or what?" I could only laugh at her confused face.

"Nah, not all the girls are like that here, Leah's just special," I supplied. Leah snorted.

"You make it sound like I've got some sort of disability," she laughed.

"Some people would argue that hanging out with Paul Lahote should come with some sort of government benefit..." I deadpanned.

"Touché, Swan, touché." She smirked. "Speak of the devil..."

"Cupcakes? Man, I thought I smelled Bella," Paul announced.

"Hello to you too, Paul. How you been?" I asked, smiling as he took the box from me, tore off one side and crammed a full cupcake in his mouth. He swallowed before winking at me and answering.  
>"Missing you, pale-face," he joked. <em>Hmmm what's he up to?<em>

"That's funny, last time I saw you, you told me to 'turn my Cullen-loving ass around and don't stink up your Res again,'" I quoted, and he smiled bashfully. Paul had taken it particularly badly when he heard I was leaving. It wasn't often that Paul changed his mind about someone and let them into his life – I was one of the privileged few and he'd taken it as a personal slight that I'd abandoned his pack. He had shown up to my house, wanting to talk and apologised that his own imprint had broken up Jake and I. When he saw he couldn't change my mind, he'd lashed out.

"I said that, huh? Oh well, I kinda thought you were shacking up with your ex, sorry," he muttered.

"It's fine," I said dismissively. "Look, Paul, no Cullens." I waved my arm around in the direction of Alex who was trying really hard not to stare at him. He noticed her for the first time.

"Hey it's Embry's chick. I'm so glad he finally hit puberty and discovered girls," he joked, and Leah snickered loudly. Alex's jaw gaped before she answered.

"Okay, has he told everyone about me or something? I feel like I'm in middle school," she frowned. I could tell she was getting slightly peeved and I tried to diffuse her frustrations.

"Sorry, Alex, but everyone here's pretty close, and word travels fast. I'm sure Em didn't mean for everyone to find out," I appeased. I looked to Paul and Leah and raised my eyebrows, hinting at them to agree.

"Definitely, actually I practically beat it out of him," Leah offered.

"I helped," Paul lied. "We knew something was different when he kept doing that weird blushing thing like Bella." As if on cue, my cheeks reddened at the mention of my embarrassing compulsion. Paul laughed and pointed. "See? She still does it. You're like a fucking Disney cartoon." I swatted his pointer finger away as Alex laughed behind her hand.

We came to the edge of a gradual slope and the bonfire came into view. It was larger than any one I'd seen, and I soon realised I could see Collin and Brady standing guard around it. They'd obviously been given the responsibility of building it and had taken things very seriously. I smiled fondly at how young at heart they still were, despite the fact that they now looked like they could be in the NBA.

Scanning around the beach, I could make out the familiar shapes of my friends. Emily and Kim were standing near a large trunk that had been covered with a table cloth and was laden with food, miming along and swaying their hips to some song on the sound system I didn't recognise. Smaller folding tables were either side of it, one with yet more food and the other with plastic cups and various types of alcohol that Rachel was tending to. Scattered around the sand were various pack members. Jared and Quil were talking animatedly, holding red solo cups and laughing about some shared joke, and Sam was tossing a football absentmindedly with Seth as he kept an eye on his imprint. I guessed her pregnancy made him more protective than ever. Embry was walking towards the circle with a large log and cushions to sit on, not having spotted Alex yet. My heart sank when I realised Jacob was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, guys, Snow White and Ariel are here!" Paul shouted, and I felt like the entire beach froze.

Suddenly, all eyes were on Alex and me, and I held my breath for their reaction. I got waves and smiles from Emily and Kim. Rachel nodded curtly and smiled, as did Jared and Sam. Everyone seemed to shoot a curious stare at Alex. Seth and Embry beamed and began jogging towards us as Leah poked Paul in the ribs.

"That better not fucking make me Pocahontas," she threatened.

"It will if you don't stop dating white guys," he shot back as he took the cupcakes off in the direction of the rest of the food.

We were greeted warmly by Seth who took full credit for our presence at the bonfire. Embry greeted me before taking Alex's hand and leading her off to the side, and I heard him begin to apologise to her if anyone had been bugging her about him. He looked so sorrowful, digging a toe into the sand with his hands in his pockets that I had no problem believing she'd forgive him. Hell, I wanted to hug the guy and buy him a popsicle.

Leah and Jared began ribbing on Seth for being such a 'suck up', and he tried arguing back but my attention was drawn by a forgotten figure standing alone a little further away. He was watching the scene with a petulant look on his face and had his arms folded across his broad chest. He looked entirely stand-offish, which didn't at all match with the guy I knew him to be. I broke away from the group and inched towards him.

"Quil?" I began, and he turned his face away, closing his eyes and his jaw twitched. Shit, I knew it was too good to be true.

"Quil, can I talk to you?" I asked, but he just snorted and walked past me, muttering "You never did before," under his breath. I could do nothing but stare off after him with a broken feeling. Quil was pissed at me, and I was almost surprised at how much that hurt. Alex and Embry wandered over to where I was standing, Alex with a confused look on her face.

"What's up with that guy?" she asked, following Quil with her eyes and Embry just shook his head.  
>"Sorry Bella, he's pretty mad at you for leaving," he supplied.<p>

"I gathered... but it wasn't anything personal, he knows that, right?"

"We were all pretty good friends, Bella. You didn't just abandon Jake when you took off," he said, and I could detect a slight shadow of hurt in his voice too.

"How come you're not pissed at me, Embry? You deserve it as much as they do, Paul too." I said glumly.

"Because I realised it wouldn't help anyone, plus, someone needs to be here for you, in case..." he trailed off. Well, that was cryptic. "Paul, he's got ulterior motives, as usual."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said, losing patience with Embry's constant riddles. The guy knew something and couldn't seem to resist hinting about it.

"Don't worry about it, Bella, it won't work anyway," he said, waving a dismissive hand in Paul's direction and wrinkling his nose. "Look, I know Quil and he never stays pissed for long. In fact I have it on good authority that he planned to be a dick to you for two days, make you suffer and then forget about it. So I'd just take your punishment and wait."

"Dude! The whole point is you don't tell her!" Quil yelled from somewhere behind him before grumbling under his breath.

I couldn't believe it. That was so Quil to actually plan to be pissed at me. I decided to let him have his little outburst and take what he had to throw at me. I loved him too much to risk it.  
>"Fine," I sighed. "I'm guessing the peanut butter cookies like the ones I baked for his seventeenth would help with the forgiving?" I enquired. Embry looked around to where Quil was sitting on a crate, arms folded and looking off into the sea. I saw him give Embry a sidelong glance, nod, and a small smile tugged at his lips.<p>

"That would be acceptable," Embry nodded solemnly.

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><p>It was disorienting being right back in the warmth of the pack, as if the last year hadn't happened – apart from one glaring absence. I hadn't enquired about Jake's whereabouts and no-one had told me, so I was stuck to speculating as I visited the drinks table for Alex and I. I was driving, therefore couldn't indulge, even though I was dying for a little 'dutch courage'. I had to make do with cans of soda and watch as Alex sipped on something fruity the girls had called "Kimmy's Torpedo Juice". Alex was looking more relaxed by the minute.<p>

Seth's girlfriend, Vanessa had arrived about fifteen minutes after Alex and I. She was ridiculously cute and exactly what I pictured for Seth. Her voice was soft and melodic, and she seemed to visibly glow in his presence while he couldn't keep his eyes off her. I wondered if he'd worried about imprinting, as I had watching Embry and Alex, but pushed the churning feeling in my stomach down. It was early days for both couples, and it wasn't my place yet to intervene. If, in six months, it looked like my best friend would have her heart ripped out and Embry had yet to say anything, I would be forced make him tell her. Until then, I just had to trust Embry – more so than I had my own boyfriend.  
>I was looking at both aforementioned couples with a soft smile on my face when I felt a delicious heat at my back – that was definitely not coming from the bonfire. Automatically I spun around and was transported eighteen months back in time when I came face to face with the cocky, self-assured smirk of Jacob Black.<p>

I obliquely registered that Emily and Kim had left their posts at the refreshments for the first time all evening, leaving us almost alone as the rest of the group gathered around the bonfire on the makeshift seats. Laughter and excited chatter rang through the air, but it faded into the background as Jake stared into my eyes with the same fierce heat he had so many times in the past. The force of it left me speechless, and I could only gape at him like some sort of dying fish out of water.

"Welcome home, Bella," he said. _What?_

"I.. uh.. thanks, Jacob, it's nice to be back," I stammered.

"Everyone making you feel welcome?" he asked, taking a sip of something that smelled like gasoline from his plastic cup. I registered for the first time that coupled with his wonderful, familiar, woodsy scent, I could detect alcohol on his breath, and a lot of it. I wondered exactly when Jacob had started drinking, and how much it would take to get him at least buzzed.

"Yeah, they are, I didn't expect everyone to be so great," I said truthfully. He snorted confidently and smirked at me again.

"Everyone missed you, it's not hard to wonder why," he replied as his eyes trailed down the length of my body and back up to my eyes. I shivered under his scrutiny.

"Cold?" he asked, and the concern seemed genuine.

"Uh, well it is December, and we're on a beach in Washington at ten at night," I answered. He nodded as he sipped his drink again. What the hell was in that cup?

"Guess you're just used to having someone warm you up," he murmered, cocking a confident eyebrow. The change in his demeanour from New York was throwing me off balance. Was this how he acted when Addie wasn't around? Or was it the alcohol? Whatever it was, it had my heart racing and I forced myself to take a step away from him. Jacob was flirting with me. Just like he had when he was trying to convince me to leave Edward. Was he playing with me? Did he only want me when he thought I was unavailable? I found myself not caring much, not when he was looking at me like _that._

As if on cue, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. Jacob's eyes were drawn to my jeans where the light from the screen could be seen through the fabric. I fished it out and read the display.

**Josh Calling...**

I snapped myself out of the Jacob haze and answered.

"It's officially Christmas Eve in Illinois, so Merry Christmas, Short-stuff," he chimed, and I couldn't help the small smile that formed on my lips. I stole a glance at Jacob, his jaw clenched and his eyes grew cold and distant once again.

"Merry Christmas to you, too Josh," I replied, trying my best to keep my voice even, and failing terribly.

"So what are you up to right now? You know we could be snuggled up with hot chocolate by a warm fire right now," he said huskily. "Next year, I guess."

The cup in Jacob's hand was crushed as he looked past me into the group around the bonfire, presumably at Embry. I cast my gaze down and sighed.

"I'm at a bonfire with some old friends," I replied, trying to look anywhere but at one particular old friend.

"Oh yeah? You sure there's no old boyfriends I should be worried about?" he teased. I looked at Jacob, he was waiting for my reply too.

"No, nothing for you to worry about, Josh," I replied, looking at my feet once again. I heard another of those all-too-frequent snorts as I listened to Josh make small talk. When I mustered up the courage to look again, Jacob was gone.

**A/N: Ooooh, what's Jacob up to? And did we enjoy meeting the pack again? I think I love them all. Josh seems to have some sort of sixth sense when Bella is around Jacob, always interrupting. It's not his fault, I guess.**  
><strong>Part two of this chapter will be up later, and it's in Alex's POV. Maybe she'll have some discoveries of her own...<strong>


	9. The Bonfire Part Two

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine: The Bonfire Part Two<strong>

**Alex POV**

Why the hell did Bella ever want to leave this place? I was already wondering if I could make a transfer to U-Dub and live with Charlie, and I'd been here less than 24 hours. Of course, that could have more to do with the fact that I had a pair of the warmest, safest arms around me, and I had quite a buzz on. Embry smelled like peppermint and _man _and his chest was like a damn heating pad. I was down for snuggling if being with him felt like _this. _Yeah, I'm aware that I sound like some sort of tragic heroine from a turn-of-the-century romance novel, and I'm probably betraying my very dominant feminist streak, but hey, I'm drunk, and have you _seen _the guy?

When he strode into Jitters', all tall, dark and scrumptious, I'd been checking him out as he lined up for service. Yeah, I wasn't technically single but there's no harm in a little window-shopping, literally and figuratively. Imagine my shock and awe when he started talking to Bella like they're old pals. I mean, apart from Taylor, a few other guys from school, and that guy Josh she introduced me to yesterday, she barely talked to anyone of the opposite sex. I've tried setting her up before, numerous times because she's hot as fuck and a lot of guys I knew wanted to take her out, but she'd always freeze up and make excuses. I thought it might have something to do with her being a virgin – I have, like, virgin radar and Bella's frustration is off the charts, but since seeing Jacob, I kinda get it now. The man is a masterpiece. I mean, he kinda has this mean, brooding, stare-y thing going on, not like Embry who seems to be able to turn me into goo with his melted-chocolate eyes. Jacob always seems to look like he's angry at the world in general, which is a complete one-eighty from the guy Bella described.

Still, there were times he'd let the mask slip, and it was usually when he thought Bella wasn't looking. Like that night in the coffee shop, for example. Bella was rushing around, trying to avoid their table when she slid a little on a discarded travel lid on the floor. Jacob actually laughed a little. It wasn't in a mean way, but more fondly, like it's something he's used to and had missed. He was shaking his head, as if saying "same old Bella". When she looked around in embarrassment, he pretended he hadn't seen.

I wondered why he's being such a dick to her face. I mean, if he's not happy with that Addie chick, why stay with her and treat Bella like crap? It was probably something to do with that weird tribal betrothing thing they were into. It sounded a little outdated to me, but I'm not one to piss on someone else's heritage. What was the point if it was messing with people's happiness? Bella was probably right to get out while she could. Josh seemed like a nice enough guy, and he likes her a lot, I can tell. She should stick to her guns and move on. Maybe one day Jacob will see sense and say 'screw tradition' and come get her. At least if he doesn't, she won't end up some lonely cat-lady.

Men give me a headache. That's why I always keep things casual and never get too close. Like with Pierre, I'm glad it was just a sex thing for me. That shit would have hurt when I found him screwing that girl. Guy was a douche anyway. I was pretty sure Bella didn't like him, even if she was too nice to say. Oh well, things turned out for the best. That was the exact thought I had as I was looking into Embry's eyes as he swept a strand of hair out of my face.

"I'm really glad you decided to come," he murmured.

"Well, it did take a major clearing of my schedule but I decided to squeeze you in," I teased. I could see a tiny blush forming already at the double entendre. _Oh, honey, you have no idea how filthy I can be._

"Yeah, well I just meant it's good to see you, I've been thinking about you a lot," he confessed earnestly._ Dammit, those eyes are going to be the death of me._

"So I hear..." I purred. Definite blush this time.

"Again, I'm so sorry about that. Once one person knows something around here, everyone does," he replied, and I could see him cringing in the flickering light of the bonfire. "It's something Bella had to get used to when she was with Jake," he said gesturing towards the drinks table where the non-couple in question seemed to be having a moment. _Huh, when did he arrive?_

"You sure it's not the reason she left in the end," I teased, quirking a brow. "I mean, she's got this new guy now, and doesn't seem to have all the complications that she had with Jacob." Embry's brow furrowed worriedly.

"Things are going well with them, huh?" He asked. I nodded in response.

"Guy can't seem to do wrong, he knows her pretty well already. English major, likes the same music, buys her gifts. The whole boyfriend package. Maybe I should get me one of those. Maybe then I can keep my secrets secret," I said, smirking and watching the little flicker of panic in his expression. _He's worried about losing me? How about that._

"If that's what you feel would be best for you..." he began. Man, he was almost too cute to torment. I placed my hand on his cheek to draw his gaze back to mine.

"Nah, I'll stick around for a while, I think," I said, and I pressed my mouth to his. His lips were hesitant, and soft, it felt like a first kiss in so many ways. He soon deepened it and I could feel the air being knocked out of my lungs. _Holy shit, this guy's powerful. _I ran my hands over his back, and could feel the muscle and sinew under his shirt, all as deliciously warm as the rest of him. I didn't want to ever stop. There was a passion in him that felt as yet un-harnessed and I was looking forward to exploring that further.

All too soon, the sound of Bella's ringtone cut through the air, and we pulled away to watch Jacob storm off into the night while Bella carried on a short conversation on the phone. Embry gave me an apologetic look and said "Sorry, I gotta go see what happened." I just smiled and nodded, I could see Bella coming over and she looked like she needed to talk some.

"Don't worry, best friend duty calls," I said, and he pressed a soft kiss to me as he moved to stand.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, don't go without saying goodbye, kay?" He said, I just nodded like some dumb sixteen year old. Bella plopped herself on the sand beside me and frowned.

"That was weird," she said.

"What happened?"

"Jake came up to me and he was being... nice, like extra nice. I wonder if it was because he'd been drinking," she pondered.

"Ah, the old social lubricant," I said ruefully. Bella smiled and shook her head.

"He was like a completely different person, it was like," she shook her head in disbelief, "like he was _flirting_ with me." I gasped in mock horror.

"No way, a hot guy was flirting with you, Bella? What has the world come to?" I teased. She gave me a withering look.

"I just mean, he was being so different to how he was in New York, I just don't get what's changed since last week," she wondered aloud.

"I do," I said. "His girlfriend isn't here. Be careful Bella, he's playing with fire and looking to get you hot." She frowned at me as she appeared to think it over.

"Jake's not a cheater, he wouldn't do that," she said.

"Maybe not when he was with you, but he's older now. Maybe he's realised what a womaniser he could be if he wanted to." Bella shook her head adamantly. I shrugged. "Fine, it's your funeral. Just remember you'll have a guy waiting for you back in NYC, and Jake's not yours any more," I said, as that cutie, Seth, approached along with his adorable girlfriend and that ridiculously hot model-lookalike, Leah.

"Catching up with the ex, huh," Leah said. There was something in her features that said she didn't approve.

"He came up to me, Leah," Bella groused.

"Hey, look, I couldn't care less," she said, holding up her hands in submission. "Just remember Addie and who she is to him."

"Like I could forget," Bella mumbled.

"You know I just don't want you to get hurt," she said.

"Yeah, none of us do," Seth had managed to distract himself for a second from nuzzling his girlfriend's cheek. Bella nodded and smiled at them softly.

"I know, guys. And hey, I'm not exactly single either, you know," Bella replied. Leah smiled brightly.

"Yeah, we heard. Good on you," she said.

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><p>We talked for a while about Leah's love life. I gathered that she and the big guy, Sam used to have a thing before he shacked up with that girl Emily. It had taken Leah a while to move on, but she had, and even though I didn't know the details, I found myself happy for her. Seth and Vanessa were celebrating their two month anniversary, and if I wasn't pretty loved up myself, I probably would have puked from all the cuteness. Soon, my buzz was wearing off and Bella was hinting that it was time to leave. I decided to go find Embry to say goodnight. It was just good manners, after all.<p>

I wandered along the beach for a while before I saw two large figures standing by some sort of driftwood log. I could make out Embry and Jacob, and they were arguing, but the noise of the sea was drowning them out. I made my way closer, trying not to eavesdrop but couldn't really help it. Whatever it was about, Jacob was _pissed._

As got a little closer, I could make out parts of their conversation.

"I don't know, Jake, they just met, and things seem to be going well between them. That's all I know," Embry yelled.

"Yeah well you're her brand new BFF, aren't you meant to know everything about her?" Jake retorted. Embry scoffed.

"Oh for god's sake Jake, really? You're throwing that back at me now? How wasted are you? You're a mess," Embry sneered.

"I'd feel the same way if I was sober," was the reply.

"Don't forget, you told me to stay close to Bella. You said it would be too hard for the two of you to be friends and that I should stay in touch in case she needed our help," Embry replied.

"That was before the hand-holding and the 'hey, Bella, I could be your new room mate'," Jacob mocked. Embry ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Look, man, you know better than anyone that my interest in New York has very little to do with Bella. Alex and I, we could really have something here," he sighed. My heart swelled the tiniest fraction in hope. "Dude, you're hammered, can we not do this now?" he pleaded.

"It was the only way the wolf would let me talk to her without being an asshole," Jacob said. "Had to drink enough to drown the both of us. It was like I could feel it as soon as she entered the state," he confessed, his eyes pressed tight together in pain. _Wolf? Is that what he's referring to Addie as? _Not that I liked the girl but that seemed a little mean.

"Yeah, well it didn't work out very well, did it," Embry said. Just then, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Leah smirking at me.

"No use listening to those two idiots. They're wasted. Nothing they're saying makes much sense," she said. I nodded dumbly. I did still feel pretty drunk myself. Leah called out to Embry beyond me. "Hey, Call, your girls leaving! Come lay one on her before she dies of frost bite," she yelled. Embry jogged back up the beach towards me smiling.

"See you again soon?" he asked.

"I'll count on it," I said, and kissed him as Leah made gagging noises in the background. Walking back towards the others, I sneaked a glance back at Jacob. His face was unreadable as he peeled off his t-shirt and made heavy strides into the woods.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Well, does that answer any questions, or raise more? So now we know why Embry's been so understanding to Bella. Not that he wouldn't be anyway, but Jake's put him on a secret mission.**_

_**How about Alex and Embry? Enough fluff for ya?**_

_**So happy for Leah's love life too. Maybe I'll have to bring some man-candy in for her. It's only fair, right? Let me know your thoughts in the reviews!**_


	10. Hangovers and Home Truths

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: The song used in this chapter is "Fuck You Aurora" by Alkaline Trio, I thought it fit the theme of a torn up relationship pretty well.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten: Hangovers and Home Truths<strong>

The next day I was dragging a pretty hungover Alex around on the last of my Christmas errands. I'd gotten all of my shopping done back in New York and was currently at the Safeway picking up baking supplies and last minute wrapping paper. Since Sue insisted that she had dinner covered, I decided that dessert was the least I could contribute. I decided to stay simple and bake an apple and rhubarb pie, along with Quil's _'I'm Sorry I Abandoned You Please Talk To Me Again'_ cookies. Alex was still outside of the automatic doors, chain smoking in her sunglasses while I paid. I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped as I watched Mike Newton pull up in a car and give her a lingering glance as he stepped out. I reached the doors in just enough time to see Alex hold up a hand in a halting motion and say "Oh sweetie, I am far too hungover to let you down gently, so just... no. Take it somewhere else." Mike just gaped at her for a few seconds before he spotted me coming out the doors smiling. _Uh oh, he thinks I'm smiling at him..._

"Mike, long time no see, Merry Christmas," I said, plastering on a fake grin. His face lit up like a damn Christmas tree.

"Bella, you're looking beautiful as always. Did you get a haircut?" he asked, and his flirting was actually comical at this point. I nodded as if sincerely impressed.

"Yeah, several haircuts in fact. Gotta maintain some standard of grooming," I deadpanned. Mike just smiled at me in response. Just then, his phone began to ring and he answered it with a pained look on his face.

"_Mike, where did you go wit the car? How long does it take to pick up stuffing mix?" _a shrill voice on the other end yelled. Mike winced and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Mom, I'll be back soon," he said before hanging up."Gotta go before she puts her head in the oven. See you ladies around," he winked and strode inside.

"That guy's cute," Alex said. "You hit that in high school?" I burst out laughing and almost dropped the shopping. "What? Did I say something funny?" she asked.

"No, it's just, Mike Newton hit on everything with boobs, there's no way I would 'hit that' in high school. He ended up being a pretty good friend, but I mean, I kinda had my hands full with two guys already," I explained. "But feel free to go there, just remember that Embry could grind him into paste," I joked. Alex smiled fondly at the idea.

"He could, couldn't he?" she sighed.

"Come on, Juliet, we've got baking to do," I laughed.

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><p>Four hours later and I was stepping out of my truck outside Quil's house with three dozen cookies and an apology. I decided to convince Alex to stay at home, since I'd be able to say anything that was needed without worrying about giving away secrets. She didn't put up much of a fight and was sipping herbal tea and muttering "Fucking Torpedo Juice" to herself as she closed the blinds in my room. Alex never did do hangovers well.<p>

Joy Ateara answered the door covered in flour and with a flustered look about her. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was just me, and not whatever guests she had been expecting.

"Oh, Bella,what a lovely surprise," she said, pulling me into one of those hugs that only moms know how to give. "Quil said you were home, are you looking for the boys? I sent them to the beach so they'd leave me alone for a few hours. You know how they get when they can smell food cooking. If I tripped over one more werewolf sized foot I was going to scream," she said, shaking the wooden spoon threateningly and looking off into the direction of the beach. I took a step back for my own safety.

"Yeah, I wanted to drop off these cookies for Quil, they're a peace offering of sorts, I don't think he's very happy with me," I confided. She smiled knowingly.

"That's very sweet of you, Bella, but you know you're just encouraging him if he gets cookies every time he throws a tantrum," she said, cocking her head to one side indulgently. I smiled when I realised how I'd been played.

"You're probably right, but I think that just this once, he deserves cookies. Next time he's lucky if he gets store-bought," I laughed.

I left the cookies with Joy and headed down in the direction of the beach. I realised about halfway down the path that Joy had referred to the "boys", as in more than just Quil. I quickly found a nervous knot forming in my stomach at the idea that Jacob could be there. My steps faltered until I forced myself onwards; I hadn't gotten the chance to apologise to Jacob the night before and maybe this could be the opportunity I needed. We both deserved the closure I'd denied us, and I was still curious as to his behaviour last night. Was he simply drunk and in a strange mood? Or did he want to open lines of communication between us again, and just have an odd way of going about it? I got the answer to my question when I made it through a small copse of trees and caught site of the guys. A strong wind blew my hair around me and Quil, Embry, Jacob and Paul all turned in my direction as soon as they picked up my scent. To my dismay, Jacob took one look at me, threw down the football he was tossing in the air and said "And that's my cue to leave."

Not to be deterred, I decided I was going to make amends with at least one wolf today. And marched towards Quil with a stubborn stride. He turned to look at me as I took a deep breath and folded his arms. His eyes were steely.

"Quil Ateara V," I said, looking him in directly in the gaze. My bravery was short lived. "I have baked you cookies, they're with your mom," I rambled. "Now this is me saying sorry. I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye, I'm sorry I didn't write, call or text. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't value your friendship and I'm sorry if I made you miss me." I could feel small tears welling up in my eyes by this point, and I could see Quil and Embry both swallowing heavily during my tirade. I was getting through to them.

"This all goes for you too, Embry. I'm sorry for leaving and for putting you in a difficult position between Jacob and I, but know this, that I understand your need to be loyal to him and I know it doesn't mean you guys aren't my friends," I said, and the tears were threatening to break free. I willed them back.

"Now can you please, please forgive me so I can hug you guys because I really really missed you when I was off on my own and I had no nice boys to cuddle with," I was sobbing now, and stood in front of them with my soul bared, staring at my shoes and hiccuping with emotion. There was an awful, tense five seconds before I was crushed in a werewolf sandwich. All was forgiven.

"Aww, Bella," Quil crooned. "You don't have to cry. And the speech wasn't needed either. You had me at 'I baked you cookies.'" He was rubbing small circles on my back and I was almost bowled over by how much I realised I had missed them.

"I'm glad you apologised even though I didn't need it, it was still nice to be considered," Embry confessed. I mopped up my eyes with my jacket sleeve and smiled at them both.

"Thanks, guys, and sorry again. Are we going to be okay?" Quil appeared to think it over for a moment before he replied.

"Let us get back to you on that after we try the cookies," he decided. I smacked him on the arm as he and Embry jogged off in the direction of the house, leaving me alone on the beach. I had guessed Paul had left soon after Jacob did. I took a steadying breath and changed directions.

_One wolf down..._

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><p>The Black's house looked the exact same as it always had when I approached, but I noticed that now, where the lawn had before just been neatly tended to under Jacob's care, there were plants and flowers of all descriptions. I was taken back to when I was little, and Jacob's mom was still alive. She had loved gardening, and used to bring me around her various flower beds to pick out a bouquet to bring to my mom. Of course, they would be battered and crushed by the time I had gotten there, but it still made her smile every time. Rachel had obviously inherited her mother's green thumb.<p>

I could see the light on in Jacob's garage as I neared, but realised I had yet to see Billy and it would have been rude to pass him by. He answered the door with a surprised look on his face, before smiling brightly at me and pulling me into a hug.

"Bella, it's wonderful to see you, please come in," he said in his deep baritone.

"I can't stay long, Billy, I was actually just going to visit Jake in his garage but couldn't resist saying 'hi' to Dad Number Two," I grinned. Billy's eyes softened as he looked at me.

"You always did have plenty of time for an old Chief," he smiled. I returned it with feeling.

"Yeah well, old Chiefs sure do have special place in my heart," I winked. He laughed wholeheartedly and it was so much like Jacob, my heart clenched.

"Don't let Charlie hear you calling him old, he found a gray hair in his moustache last month. It was all he talked about for three days," he said and we both descended into chuckles.

We gathered around his kitchen table while I made a pot of coffee. As I handed him a cup he asked "So how have you been, Bella? Any new boys that need to be vetted by me and your old man on the horizon?" I knew he was fishing to see how far I'd moved on from Jacob. Something about the way he asked made me wonder if he, like Charlie, still held out hope we'd end up together. The situation with Addie was getting all the more mysterious.

"Nothing serious just yet, Billy," I said. "You Black men are a hard act to follow," I confessed, smiling softly.

"It's a burden we must bear," he said in mock sincerity. I suddenly felt the urge to make sure Billy harboured no ill feelings towards me. He was being so nice, he had to at least have been mad I'd left his son, right?

"Billy, you know if things were different, I'd be proud to call myself your daughter-in-law," I said, looking him in the eyes and meaning it. He smiled softly and nodded.

"We never know why the spirits work the way they do, Bella," he sighed. "Just know that everyone understands your reasons for leaving – one Leah Clearwater hanging around here's enough for any tribe," he smiled ruefully. I couldn't help chucking at his astute observations. Billy was hip to the the happenings of the young crowd. I was impressed and had no doubt his close relationship with Jacob was to thank for it.

"When you left, it was the first time Jake didn't talk to me, tell me how he was feeling. I've never felt so useless. He's my boy, and I love him more than anything, but he didn't even want to look at anyone," he said sadly, looking out the window towards the garage. A stab of guilt clawed its way into my chest and I felt my head begin to swim. I could have seriously damaged Jacob and Billy's relationship, and I could never have lived with myself if that had happened. Jacob couldn't survive without his father. He shouldn't have to try.

_My, my what a mess was made of my head  
>When I heard what you'd been through that day.<br>It appears a violent storm's passed through you recently. _

"For what it's worth, if I had a choice, it would have been you." I felt tears welling up for the second time that day. I could do nothing but nod dumbly and give Billy another hug. Despite all I'd put his family through, he still wanted me to be a part of it. I couldn't help wishing that he had a choice too.

If Jacob heard my approach, he made no indication of it. I stood in the doorway of his garage, just watching. The place was a mess, and looked like it had been trashed lately. I shuddered to know the cause of the lapse in temper that this was the result of. Broken pieces of crates lay strewn about the floor, tools covered every surface as if drawers had been emptied. It was as if he had been looking for something and lost patience. Jacob hadn't had a problem with patience since the last time he'd been around Edward. I mulled this over as my eyes fell to him, calmly bent over an engine while a slow tempo-ed song played on the radio, as if the chaos surrounding him didn't exist.

_My, my what a mess we've made  
>Of our prett<em>_y little heads these days.  
>It appears a heavy wind's blown through here recently.<em>

I had always found it therapeutic to observe him work. The dexterity of his fingers, the strength of his muscles, the logical way his mind assessed problems and rectified them. Jacob was a genius in many ways and I had no doubt that his brain worked to a higher capacity than the rest of us. Well, except maybe Embry, that kid was crazy smart.

I had been there for close to five minutes before he finally spoke.

"Did you need something, or are you just going to stalk me from the corner," he asked. The words were intended to be good natured, but the tone definitely wasn't. I instantly blushed and moved away from where I leaned against the frame.

"I was hoping we could talk, if you're up for it," I said with a confidence I certainly did not posses. He turned to look at me for the first time. His eyes trailed the length of my body, over the skinny-fit jeans I was wearing and Alex's biker boots to the black faux-leather jacket over the hooded sweatshirt I had zipped up to keep out the chill. He blinked a few times and turned back to his work.

"I know everything that you're going to say, you're wasting your time," he said.

"Okay, but I don't know what you're going to say, don't you think you deserve to get some things off your chest?"I asked and he dropped the wrench he was holding and leaned on the edge of the car.

"I have nothing to say to you, Bella. Why are you even here? We've both moved on. Just let it go," he said quietly. I noticed for the first time he was trembling. It had been a while since I saw Jacob in such little control of his wolf, and I was extremely confused. Did being Alpha make the wolf harder to control? Or was I pushing so many of his buttons that he was ready to burst out of his skin?

_My, my what a mess we've made  
>Of our precious little lives these days.<br>It appears a big fucking tornado has twisted us up recently. _

"Jacob, are you alright? Do you need to go outside and phase?" I said, taking a tentative step toward him. He threw out a hand to warn me to stay back. This was definitely new.

"I don't need to do anything!" he shouted. "He fucking does what I say! I'm in charge of him, not the other way round!" He started tugging at his hair and pacing and the shaking increased.

"Jacob," I tried soothing. "You can control this, don't fight so hard. Let your wolf know there's no danger. It's just me. Everything is okay." I was wracking my brain trying to think of ways I'd heard Sam calm Paul down before. Was it possible that Jacob was now as volatile as Paul?

Whatever I said, it seemed to work and the vibrating slowly decreased. Jacob was left slumped on the ground, breathing deeply. It was a long minute before I found the courage to speak again.

"Jacob, are you okay? You never lose control like that..." I said softly, trying not to startle him and start the process over again.

"Bella, you should go, it's because of _you _I can't control him," he said, pushing the heels of his hands into his eyes. I was taken aback by what seemed to be the first sliver of truth I'd had form the pack in a year.

"What do you mean? Is he mad at me?" I asked, fearing the reply. Jacob shook his head.

"You upset him, when you left, he'd grown attached to you and now he feels rejected. You confuse him and it makes him anxious," Jacob explained, opening one eye to look at me. I suddenly got the feeling that the wolf wasn't the only one he was talking about. I took another step towards the broken man on the floor, wanting to reassure him and the beast inside of him that I still loved them. The closer I got, the more the vibrating came back. Jacob scooted back further away from me and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Look, Bella, it's not safe for you to be here. I get you're sorry or whatever but I can't be alone with you. It's too hard," he said mournfully. "I had to drink a gallon of the old Res moonshine last night to make him docile enough to let me talk to you, and it still didn't work," he groaned. "Just a mention of you and another guy and he comes back out, it's like, he's so angry at you..." Jacob mused aloud, shaking his head. I felt like this was the first time he'd been able to verbalise what was happening to him. The thought that my sweet, caring Jacob had to turn to illegally made alcohol just to get close to me made me sick. What was I doing to him? My chest heaved in pain and I felt tears stinging my eyes for the third time that day.

"So what, am I just supposed to never see you again?" I asked, my voice shaking with emotion.

_My, my what a mess we've made  
>Of our precious little lives these days.<br>It appears a big fucking tornado has twisted us up recently. _

"Yes... no... I don't know Bella, I can't get a handle on this. It's easier when Addie's around. He feels more...focused," he said. My heart dropped into my stomach. She really was better for him in every way – she could calm his wolf with her mere presence.

"I see," I said, taking a step backwards. Jacob's eyes met mine and they said all the "I'm sorry"s and "I miss you"s that he couldn't.

_Letters meant to be sent have been torn.  
>The phone lies off the hook, on the floor.<br>All these "I'm sorry"s and "I miss you"s are useless.  
>I fucked this one up long<em>_ ago._

"Maybe eventually, I can get handle on this, Bella," he said. "But until then, I think it's best if you keep your distance," he finished. I could do nothing but nod as my heart splintered and fell out of my chest. I couldn't see Jacob any more.

"Are... are you happy, Jake?" I asked. I couldn't resist. I had to know that some good could come out of this. He closed his eyes a moment before looking at me again. He had tears in his eyes and it seemed to literally be choking him to speak. He took a slow, shuddering breath.

"I love her, Bells, I can't help it," he said.

It was ironic that the one time he'd called me the name I'd been yearning for him to say, the one term of endearment that would make me happy, was in that one sentence that brought the last of our foundations tumbling down.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh gosh I had no idea where this all came from. Such angst! I'm sorry if it was such a downer, but at least she's made up with Quil, right? And a little cameo from Mike Newton. I always thought Bella was a little mean about him in the books. Poor guy..**

**I'm sure many of your questions have been answered, but not all of them, eh? Well would you want the story to be over yet? Not when there's a lot more Pack life and college partying and budding romances to be covered. Also, are we sure this is really the end for Jake and Bells? Stay with me, because I still have a lot of story to go...**

**I was hoping for some more feedback before posting this chapter but decided to go for it anyway. Hopefully you'll all let me know if you love it or hate it. That includes you, lurkers.. ;)**


	11. Honking Leah

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: The song used in this chapter is "Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanessence**

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven: Honking Leah<strong>

It's amazing how easy it is to act okay when you put your mind to it. My façade of calm lasted throughout Christmas. Leah and Seth spent the day giving me tentative looks and sympathetic glances, no doubt since bearing witness to the catastrophe that was my 'healing' talk with Jacob. Sue and Charlie definitely seemed to be getting closer, and finally admitted to us that they were dating. It was unnerving, but cute, and we were all happy to see them find each other,

On the drive home from the Ateara's, I had pulled over to the side of the road and broken down. I think the shock of the finality of Jacob's and my talk just hit me, and I allowed myself one hour to wallow in the grief of what we could have had. I cursed Addie, I cursed Taha Aki, I cursed the pack and finally I cursed Jacob for allowing me to get myself in so deep and allow my heart to once again be broken. Hearing Jacob telling me that he loved Addie was the final nail in the coffin of our romantic relationship. I couldn't hold out a sliver of hope any more, no matter how much I had been kidding myself since he walked into the coffee shop. He wasn't mine. He never was.

I had finally stopped crying when Josh's call came through. Once again it was if he knew there was something happening with Jake and my relationship. For once I was happy about it, I needed the distraction. I steeled myself, cleared my throat, and decided to go on with the rest of my story. Jake and Bells may be finished, but Bella Swan wasn't done yet. I answered the phone to Josh's usually chirpy demeanor.

"What's up Bella, had enough of egg nog and badly-sung carols yet?" he asked.

"Hey Josh, I was just visiting some friends, I'm headed home now. How are you?"

"A lot better than you sound," he said, concerned. "Did something happen, Bella?" I could feel the tears welling up again and I nodded before realising he couldn't see me.

"I went to visit my friend Jacob, he's been acting strange since he met his new girlfriend. We had this huge argument and he told me we can't be friends any more. I guess I'm not taking it very well," I explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. That really sucks. Were you guys close?"

"He was probably my best friend other than Alex," I said. "We were inseparable when I lived here." Josh sighed.

"Well then, the guy's an idiot. Anyone who can let you out of their life doesn't deserve to have you in it." I was warmed by his sweet words. Josh barely knew me, but he sounded so sure of himself that I felt that he wholeheartedly believed what he was saying. "Some day he'll see sense, and if he's a true friend, he'll come back to you. Until then I'm sure there's plenty of people who are willing to take his place."

"Thanks Josh, I'm determined not to let this ruin The Holidays for me. I just hope I can keep it together, I feel so hurt. I mean, it's not exactly his fault, but I feel like he could have at least given me the option to stay in touch. He didn't. He wants me out of his life for a long time," I sniffed.

"Well, I'll tell you what, I can't be there to comfort you, even though it's killing me to hear you so upset over the phone, but you can put on a brave face for everyone there, and if you feel like breaking down, I want you to call me. You'll get through this. I knew as soon as I met you that you'd been through a lot and you're strong."

"Thanks Josh, this is an important Christmas for my farther, I want to be okay for him."

"You will be, Bella, I know it."

"Thanks," I smiled. "Listen, I better get going, I've been pulled over on the side of the road for an hour already."

"Damn, it wouldn't look good for Chief Swan's daughter to get nabbed for a traffic violation," he laughed. "Okay, Bella, take care, and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Josh," I replied before hanging up.

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><p>The next week passed lazily in a haze of family get-togethers, game nights, and dinners with Charlie. Josh's calls and texts were a constant, and I had to admit, they were becoming somewhat of a lifeline to me. I welcomed his calming presence in my life, and he was always able to take my mind off things for a while. I gave Alex a simple explanation of what had happened on Christmas Eve, and she'd made it clear that she wasn't happy with Jacob, but was impressed by my resilience. I think a part of her was rubbing off on me, and I was glad for it. We went on shopping trip to Seattle, because apparently, Alex needed to see some west coast shopping malls before going back. I took the plunge while we were there and cut my hair into a sleek bob that came just past my chin. Alex said it was 'fierce'. I just wanted a fresh start.<p>

Soon, New Years Eve was upon us, and Sam and Emily invited Alex and myself to their annual party. I agreed to go, not just for Alex's sake so she could see Embry, but so I could get used to being around The Pack as friends when Jacob was being so distant. I still loved them all dearly and I didn't want to run off on them again, but I found myself looking forward to going back to New York and forgetting about why I was feeling like crap.

It was only when we pulled up at Emily's house that I realised I hadn't been informed of one glaring presence at the party: Addie had flown in to spend the evening with Jacob. I was instantly glad that Alex had talked me into buying the knock-off Marchesa party dress we'd gotten on sale. It was aubergine-coloured, backless with a lace front and reached not quite to my knee. It had cost 150 dollars. I shuddered to know how much the real thing was. I waved hello to Addie as she stood on Emily's porch chatting to Jared and Kim. They seemed to be getting along well, and once again I felt the sting of jealousy that she would have a place here forever if she wanted it. I was nothing but a passing phase for Jacob.

The wolf in question passed us at the doorway, carrying drinks for himself and his date. He stopped short once he caught sight of me, splashing the drinks in his hand over the floor as the person behind him hadn't anticipated his abrupt halt. His gaze raked over my body, lingering on my usually covered legs and then my new haircut. I greeted him cordially even though I felt I was burning up from the inside out. He took a deep breath and nodded his hello.

"Evening Bella, Alex. You look... great," he said, never deferring his gaze from mine.

"Thanks, Jacob, you too," I said causally. Even though it was the understatement of the year. He was wearing Black suit trousers paired with a dark gray shirt, the top buttons open, teasing of the smooth skin and firm chest it covered. He was delicious. But I couldn't let myself linger on that.

"Emily inside? I want to say hey to the hostess before things get too crazy," I explained. He gulped some of his drink loudly and nodded. "Yeah, she's in the kitchen," he said, jerking his head in her direction. We walked past him to seek Emily out. Cat-calls and wolf whistles from Quil, Embry and Paul was our greeting as we walked into the living room. They were splayed on the couches and Paul was getting a smack across the back of the head from Rachel when I spotted them through the small crowd that had already gathered. I smiled and waved hello. Embry's eyes darkened when he caught sight of Alex in her green, strapless dress. He couldn't tear his gaze away from her. I could tell I wouldn't see much of my best friend tonight.

Rachel looked stunning in a little red empire line dress which set off her russet skin wonderfully. Her hair was pulled back in a lazy bun and I instantly regretted cutting mine off. Not much I could do about it now. She beckoned us to follow her because Emily had been waiting for our arrival. Emily and Leah were in the kitchen, laughing over something we weren't privy to when I entered. It instantly warmed my heart to see them carrying on like the best friends they were. Leah was drinking a beer, and Emily was nursing what I recognised as a Shirley Temple. It was hard to believe she was even pregnant when you looked at her dark blue, figure-hugging dress that flowed beautifully around her knees. As if reading my mind, she laughed.

"I'm not going to get a chance to wear a dress like this again for a long time, I refuse to feel guilty about the price tag," she chuckled. Alex and I laughed at her contented smile.

"You're definitely working it, girl, and I can tell you're going to be a total MILF," Alex joked as the rest of us giggled.

"Who's a MILF? Oh yeah, Embry's mom, man if I were ten years older.." Quil announced as he entered the room. He was rewarded with a punch to the back of the head form Embry, who quickly made his way over to Alex and kissed her softly.

"You look stunning, Alex," I hear him whisper, and she smiled shyly in return. She really was a different person around him.

Leah rolled her eyes and snorted, "Yeah, yeah, everyone looks fantastic, I'm wearing a bra for the first time in a year, it's a fucking celebration. I'm going to find Brandon before my buzz wears off." I raised my eyebrows gleefully at her.

"Brandon, eh?" I teased.

"Yeah Leah likes boys now. Lets 'em touch her boobs and everything!" Quil said, making a honking motion with one hand and raising his cup to his mouth. Leah smacked the bottom of it, splashing his drink in his face.

"I warned you, Ateara," she chided, and left the room, her black, knee-length bandage dress moulded to her enviable curves.

Emily fixed Alex and I drinks as we all caught up on how we spent the holidays, The cocktails were deceivingly sweet, and soon my head was swimming a little from the alcohol. Alex and Embry quickly graduated from sharing sweet kisses to full-on making out on Sam's recliner. The party was in full-swing and I was on my fourth cocktail, dancing with Paul, Quil and Seth to some cheesey eighties hair-metal when Sam turned the volume down to get our attention. It was time for the countdown and everyone stood up with a drink in their hand to toast the new year. When the stroke of midnight came, Quil dipped me back dramatically and planted a huge smacker on my mouth before he yelled "Happy New Year to me!" over the noise and my laughter. I was so glad to have him there. We seemed to be the only two people without dates, a fact I registered when I caught sight of Jacob passionately kissing Addie up against the wall in the corner. His hand was snaking up her thigh and hers were dipped under of the collar of his -now rumpled- shirt. It was disgusting that they did that shit in public.

I threw myself heavily into the soft couch beside Paul and we raised our glasses in a toast to the new year. He glanced over to where Jacob and Addie were now staring lovingly into each others eyes.

"How you holding up, snowball?" he asked, jerking his head in their direction. I was momentarily taken aback he was concerned enough to even ask.

"Wow, has the infamous Paul Lahote grown a conscience?" I teased. He grinned at me ruefully.

"Just curious, I guess, I mean you haven't gone full-on Leah on them and you're still hanging around with us. What gives?" I sighed in response.

"He's happy. He found her, like I knew he would. It'd be a waste of energy to be bitter for him, even though they are treating us to a soft porn show. Should I start chucking dollar bills at them or what?" I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust. Paul laughed at my honesty.

"That's what I thought. It's not your normal imprint, you know..." he said mysteriously, taking a sip of his drink, and looking around for eavesdroppers. My curiosity was heightened instantly.

"What do you mean?" I said, furrowing my brow.

"I mean that, look, Embry told you Jake spent months without seeing her, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, he can still do that. It's not as strong as it was for the rest of us. If I go more than a week without Rach, I can barely walk," he confided.

"Why are you telling me this, Paul? I'm finally making my peace with it."

"Because we think it can be broken," he said.

"What? How?"

"Let me put it like this, when the rest of us imprinted, it was like, steel cables connected us to our girls. Nothing could weaken or break them, right?" I nodded again. "Well, for certain reasons, that I won't go into right now, Jacob's 'steel cables' are more like lengths of yarn. It just takes a snip," he said, grinning darkly and making a scissor motion with his fingers. I shook my head in an effort to clear the haze that the alcohol had brought.

"That can't be right, I've seen how they are together. He told me he loves her," I replied.

"He does, the imprint gets stronger the more time they spend together. He still thinks the sun shines out of her perky ass," he said. I frowned in contemplation

"Why would you tell me this, Paul? I know we're friends, but you don't even like Jacob that much."

"Because of Rach. She can't stand Addie, and it makes her unhappy that her brother will end up with someone like her. Addie will want him to move away from the Res, just like Rebecca. If the imprint gets stronger, he'll have to do what she wants. If Rachel's not happy, neither am I," he confided.

Suddenly it all made sense. Billy's dislike for Addie, how he'd told me that he'd wished it had been me. They were all in danger of losing him and thought I had the power to stop it. A flash of our conversation on Christmas Eve came to mind. Jake told me to stay away. He knew I was a threat to the imprint and still didn't want me around.

"I can't do anything about it, I'm sorry," I said resignedly.

"Why not? Don't you love him?"

"Of course I do, but it's not enough. Jacob knows all about this and he told me to get lost. I'm not going to interfere in his life without his consent. Edward was always doing that to me and I hated it, it's part of why I left him. What kind of hypocrite would I be if I did the same to Jacob?"

"You're making a big mistake, Bella. This could be your one shot to have him without fear of him leaving you," he warned. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Paul, look at them," I said, gesturing towards the couple who were currently whispering sweet nothings to each other and giggling. "You know how happy an imprint makes the wolf, how could I take that away from him? And who could guarantee that he'd be happy with me at all? All I've done is hurt him, again and again. I can't take the chance he'll end up hating me for ruining his one chance at true happiness. Maybe he can convince Addie to stay here. I'm sure she'd do it for him. I just can't be a part of this," I said, moving to get up and walking out to get some air. I caught sight of Paul shaking his head in disagreement over my shoulder as I left.

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><p>I shivered in the night air as I hugged my arms closer to my body. My head was reeling from everything Paul had revealed, and I couldn't figure out whether to be upset about it or not. On the one hand, I had a chance to have Jacob for my own, but on the other, I didn't want to do anything about it. Jacob deserved the best from life, he deserved his soul mate. I didn't know why his Imprint hadn't taken properly, but the fact was that Addie was meant for Jacob. It would be entirely conceited to stand in the way of that. As for Jake himself, he'd made it pretty clear he didn't want me. If he loved me, he would have told me about the problems with his imprint and found a way for us to be together. Even his wolf didn't want me around. If that wasn't a sign to leave things well alone, I didn't know what was.<p>

No, I was working on getting on with my own life and I had to continue to do that. Jacob wasn't for me. I had to find my own Addie.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tingling sensation at the back of my neck. Hot breath was fanning over my bare shoulders, and it sent a warm sensation straight to my core. I breathed in his scent. It was one of the many things about Jacob I would miss the most. I allowed myself to breathe it in, one last time.

"Do you know how beautiful you look tonight, Bells?" he breathed into my ear. My hair danced around the side of my face from the contact with his breath. I went stiff. He trailed a finger down my unclothed arm slowly, torturously. "As soon as I caught sight of you, your hair exposing that delicious, pale neck; I just wanted to steal you away into an empty room, lock to door, and do all the things I've fantasized about to your body."

My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. Everything was Jacob and I was drowning in him.

"Would you like that, Bells? Would you like me to show you all the ways I want you? All the ways my body craves you when we're alone in the dark?"

"Jake..." I whispered, turning my head to the side, but afraid to look in case the spell was broken. Unknowingly, I broke it myself anyway. His breath fanned across my face and it reeked of the same pungent alcohol it had the other night. I breathed out in frustration. "Jacob Black, you're drunk. Go back inside to your imprint and stop playing mind games."

_Should have let you fall and lose it all  
>So maybe you can remember yourself<br>Can't keep believing, we're only deceiving ourselves  
>And I'm sick of the lie and you're too late <em>

"Is it a crime just to want you?" he asked, tracing a finger across my lips as his eyes zeroed in on them. He leaned closed to me and it took every bit of my willpower to pull back.

_You never call me when you're sober  
>You only want it 'cause it's over, it's over<br>How could I have burned paradise?  
>How could I? You were never mine.<em>

"It is when you're a different person in the light of day. Come back to me when you're sober, Jake. If you still feel the same, then we'll talk," I said angrily. With that I pushed past him and sought out the refuge of a crowd. I wasn't anyone's drunken booty call. Tomorrow night, Alex and I were flying back to New York, back to our lives. If Jacob wanted me, he could come find me.

_Don't cry to me, if you loved me  
>You would be here with me<br>You want me? Come find me  
>Make up your mind.<em>

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><p><strong>AN: I'm glad she has Josh as her person to lean on, it seems like she'll need him.**

**Lots of revelations in this chapter... Who would have thought Paul was the one to finally be honest with Bella? I guess his love for Rachel was enough motivation.**

**Jacob's giving me whiplash. The guy is so conflicted he doesn't know what to do. I guess he wants it all, but he can't have it. There will eb some major decisions in his future.**

**I'm eager to hear some opinions now that you know a little more of what's going on!**


	12. Dine and Dash

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: Since you guys were so awesome today ****you get another chapter! See? Reviews do pay off!**

**Some may not like some developments but everything that happens in this story is for a reason. Trust me!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve: Dine and Dash<strong>

I threw myself into college and work when I returned to New York. I had left Jacob and my feelings for him behind that night on Sam and Emily's porch, and I had convinced myself that, at least for now, I was better off without him and the drama he seemed to bring into my life. It was fine if he wanted to stay with Addie. He could have his happy life. I just didn't want to be around to see it.

My one respite from all my hard work was Josh. He was a constant in my life after I returned from Forks, and he was a welcome distraction from thoughts of Jacob and whether I was wrong not to fight for him. I realised that if I could find someone as amazing as Josh and have him in my life, I was going to be okay. He was constantly encouraging me to have more fun and let myself go, and although at times his persistence bordered on domineering, if I put my stubborn Swan foot down, he usually relented. One such time in mid March, Josh was begging me to attend a St Patrick's day party he and his room-mate were having in their apartment. There was a lot of people invited, and although I had work the next evening, I was considering giving in and going.

"Think about it Bella, food, music, idiots dressed in green? It'll be great. And you don't have to put up with any losers hitting on you because they'll all know you're with me," he said smugly.

It was true, after around a month of stolen kisses and skirting around the subject, Josh and I were an official couple. Not much had really changed, other than I could now introduce him as my boyfriend. I found myself slowly falling for his good looks, considerate traits and his stubborn streak. We were probably a match made in hell, since our arguments lasted days at a time before Alex banged our heads together, but the sexual attraction between us was growing. We were getting closer and closer to taking the next step in our relationship, and even I was getting impatient that it hadn't happened yet. The timing just never seemed right. Alex had told me that it wasn't something you should time, and that when it feels good, do it, but I was too used to thinking everything through.

I had found out after we came back to New York that she had slept with Embry the night of the party, and she hadn't stopped gushing about how great it was. It wasn't something I had wanted to hear about two of my closest friends, but she was relentless. She said she thought he had ruined her for other men and kept talking about his stamina and strength being almost inhuman. I had to bite my tongue before I cracked and told her that it was probably because he wasn't human. Still, it made me smile that they were making each other happy. If one good thing could come out of my involvement with The Pack, I hoped that would be it.

"Okay, you assure me there will be plenty of alcohol at this party? Not like the last one where Johnny went on a semi-legal beer run at 3am..." I teased. Josh chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, we have a better idea of the crowd this time, so you won't have to be sober to listen to his drama nerd friends," he joked.

"How are you even funding this? Do you have a rich uncle you never told me about?" I quipped. I never knew where his money came from, but he didn't work and always seemed to be able to afford whatever he liked, not struggling like a stereotypical student. He looked at me strangely.

"What makes you say that?" he said, looking confused.

"I'm just kidding, I guess I just noticed how you like to throw these parties and go out all the time but don't have a job. You're a closet trust-fund-kid, aren't you?" I teased.

"Yeah, that's it; My daddy sends me money from his yacht every week, it's a hard life I lead," he deadpanned. I giggled and kissed him.

"Sweet, I knew there was a reason I was with you," I winked.

That Friday, Alex was painting a small shamrock on my cheek as we got ready for Josh's party. I had finally agreed to go after making him sweat for a day. I think I enjoyed our playful conflict more than he did.

"Sooo, Embry was wondering when we're coming back to Forks for a visit..." she began. It was an inevitable question, since they talked and video-chatted every day, but one I had hoped to avoid a little longer. Things were going so well here with Josh that I didn't want go home and give Jacob the opportunity to mess with my head again. I had a good thing, and I intended to hang on to it. I sighed in response. "You can't avoid going home forever you know, Charlie would miss you too much," she said. _Oh, low blow, Alex._

"I know that, but forgive me for wanting to leave my sexy boyfriend to go back to where everyone knows me as 'Jacob's reject'," I retorted. She cocked an eyebrow at me as if to say: _'yeah, that's all you're worried about._' I sighed. "Yeah, and I'm not really into watching Jacob live out his happily every after. I'm happy for him, sure, but do I have to be around to watch?" I asked.

"Of course not, I'm just making sure you know that it's been noticed that you haven't made plans to go home for spring break."

"I already had this conversation with Charlie last week, yeah," I said. "He understands why." Alex sighed that she'd lost her leverage.

"Fine, I hope you know that the longer you stay away the harder it will be to go back..."

I tuned her out. This was a conversation I'd had with myself numerous times already and I wasn't going to change my mind. I was making a life for myself here, and I was determined to stick with it.

The party had been a wild affair. Josh used the excuse of his Irish heritage to keep the drinks flowing and I was reminded once again why all of his social events were such a roaring success. He was the life and soul of the party and his charisma instantly drew people to him. He was like Jacob in that way, but I forced myself to end the comparisons there. His commanding presence was extremely attractive to me, and I found myself getting more and more proud that I was his girlfriend.

The night was winding down and the time came to catch a cab home. Alex had snagged two girls from our dorm to share the taxi with us, and approached me to tell me it was time to go. Josh was saying his goodbyes to the party guests, and as I watched him, I felt a surge of fondness for him. I felt safe and wanted with Josh. I realised I didn't want to leave.

"Why don't you go on home, I think I'll crash here..." I said, shooting Alex a look I hoped she would interpret.

"Oh... you mean.." her face broke into a filthy smile. "Alright, you kids have fun now. And remember, no glove, no l-" I interrupted her abruptly as Josh made his way back to bid us goodnight. Alex hugged him and slurred a thank you for the great party, as she waddled off in the direction of the door.

"So I'll call you tomorrow?" Josh checked, pulling me into a hug. I heard him breathe in the scent of my hair and the action warmed my heart.

"Actually," I said, pausing to kiss him sensually, "I thought I'd stay with you...?" Recognition dawned in his eyes and he gave me a surprised smile.

"Really? I mean, are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive," I nodded. "I think it's about time, don't you?"

"I hope you haven't felt like I was pushing you, Bella," he said, leaning back to look into my eyes. I shook my head adamantly.

"You're the perfect gentleman. And hey, we're together, we like each other, why wait any longer?" I asked. It was how I felt. Josh and I were in a relationship, I trusted him and I knew he'd still be mine tomorrow, all going well. If he'd been with me purely for sex, he'd have lost interest weeks ago. He smiled brightly at me before pulling me into a fevered kiss. I returned it with force. He pulled back again, his eyes hooded as they travelled the length of my body. He abruptly pulled away from me and shouted to the last of the revellers.

"Alright, everybody out, party's over! If you're not out within the next ten seconds, you're barred from all future events!"

Soon we were all alone, Johnny, Josh's room mate having passed put hours ago. He pulled me into his room and shut the door behind us. He brushed a stray hair from my face and studied me.

"You're not drunk, right?"

I scoffed.

"My last drink was hours ago, Josh, I stopped after I had to hold back Ashley's hair while she christened your sink," I informed. His nose wrinkled adorably.

"We need to work on your pillow talk, sweetie." I laughed. Well this seemed like as good a segue as I was going to get...

"There's something you should know, before we do this," I began. His eyes flickered to mine in panic and I smiled softly to reassure him. "It's nothing bad, it's just... well..." I could feel my cheeks burning already. "I'veneverdonethisbefore," I whooshed out all in one breath. Josh blinked for a second and pulled me to sit on the edge of the bed before answering.

"You mean, you're a..." I nodded in reply. "How is that possible? I mean... look at you." he said as he appraised me. I felt butterflies in my stomach under his gaze. I launched in to a brief explanation of my previous boyfriends. Josh listened patiently, and then sat in silent contemplation.

"Look, Bella, I'm not sure I'm the guy to do this with, I mean, I really,_ really _like you and all, but don't you want this to be more special?" he asked. I just smiled indulgently and cupped his cheek with my palm.

"Josh, I'm twenty years old, I'm a virgin, I'm in a relationship and I'm at college.. who else would be better for me than you? Unless... you don't want me..." I said, turning my gaze away. His eyes were panicked when he knelt in front of me and encased my hands in his.

"Bella, please don't think that, I just don't want you to wake up regretting this tomorrow."

"I won't."

"You're sure?"

I laid my hands on his cheeks and kissed him slowly, languidly. I pulled away and pressed my forehead to his. I stared deep into those green eyes and whispered. "I'm sure."

That night, Josh made slow, gentle love to me. It was caring, hesitant, and comforting. It was exactly what a first time should be, and he was considerate and patient with me as we broke through the inevitable pain barrier. Afterwards, we laid tangled in the sheets, feeling closer than ever before. The next morning, I awoke to Josh cooking me pancakes, dressed deliciously in just pyjama bottoms and a hooded sweatshirt with the zip undone, showcasing his impressive torso. We spent the day exploring each other's bodies until it was time for me to head to work. He walked me to Jitters' and kissed sweetly goodbye, promising to see me the next day. I was happy and content and worked the entire shift with a bright smile on my face and a blush tinting my cheeks.

The next day, before the time Josh I had made plans to meet, I received a text message, where he apologised profusely and then cancelled. This also happened the next day. For a full week, Josh called and texted me, but made every effort to avoid meeting me face to face. I decided I needed to talk to someone about it, and asked Alex's opinion over dinner one night.

"And you're sure he was okay with the-" her voice broke into a whisper, like she was swearing in church, "virgin thing?" she asked. I nodded my head confidently

"Yes, I mean I talked to him about it, and I think he took it better than you did, and you claimed to have already known," I said, ruefully. She smirked and shrugged her shoulders before contemplating her next thought.

"You don't think he was doing the 'dine and dash', do you?" she asked, and I furrowed my brow in confusion."You know, he 'hit that and then quit that'?" she elaborated. She sighed again when I didn't get her meaning. "I mean, do you think he's lost interest now that you've slept together?" she said. I thought about it for a second before answering.

"If he was going to do that, why would he call and text me at least twice a day? Sure seems a silly way to dump me," I argued, trying to fight back the feeling of dread that was creeping into my stomach. Alex nodded as she chewed her spaghetti. Then she shrugged.

"I guess then all you can do, is give him a little time and if you still haven't seen him in a few days, go seek him out. If nothing else it'll stop you worrying, and he might not be able to lie as easily to your face." she said.

By the following Sunday, I'd had enough and travelled to his apartment to ask him directly what was going on. He hadn't been expecting me when he opened the door, or he probably would have hidden it better. I froze in shock as I took in the sight of my boyfriend – face swollen, lip split, and four stitches above his black eye.

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><p><strong>AN:Short chapter this time, but I got to my end point and decided not to force things.**

** Well well, Bella's not so innocent any more... I hope you'll forgive me for skipping over the lemon, but in my experience, I prefer reading them when they occur between the pairing I'm rooting for. I don't think there are too many Josh/Bella shippers among you, but if you're there, raise your hand! There will be a lemon or two with Jake, when the time comes, but we'll get to that.**

**Have you figured out what's going on with Josh yet? I have a feeling some of you will after this chapter.**

**Next Chapter isn't Bella POV, it's a long awaited one that I'm pretty nervous about writing. Think you can guess who it is?**

**Let me know your opinions in the comments!**


	13. Embry Call, KnowItAll

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen: Embry Call, Know-It-All<strong>

**Jacob POV:**

"Dude, can you stop pacing? You're giving me a headache," Embry grumbled.

"I can't, it's like all of my senses are on high alert.,,, What if she freaks out and bails? Not everyone is as accepting of our secret as-" _Bella... "_others..." I replied. He just sighed like I was some annoying kid and gave me that look. I hated that look, it was like I was his stupid little brother and he was forced to look after me. I'm his Alpha, for Christ sake.

"Jake, she's your imprint. She kind of has no other choice than to accept you and your furry friend."

_Imprint. _I hated that word even more than that look Em kept giving me. I didn't ask for this. I would have been pretty content to have headed back to La Push once I realised Bella wasn't in Hanover and licked my wounds. I would have waited for her. I would have convinced her to be mine again. But no, this stupid wolf...curse decided to fuck me over the last way it knew how.

"When did everything get so fucked up, man? How did I go from having a crush on Charlie Swan's daughter, logging overtime in the spank bank to ..._this?_"

"I know, dude, I'm surprised you didn't go blind, it was like you were obsessed," he laughed.

"Hey, I loved her, it wasn't so much of an obsession as... an expression of my appreciation for her beautiful face.."

"And her ass, her legs, her boobs.." he listed off on his fingers. I laughed and pulled him into a headlock.

"Do I need to remind you who owns your ass, Call?" I mock threatened. "Stop talking about Bella's boobs!"

"I guess I'm just so used to _you _talking about them that I decided to reminisce," he countered. I released the headlock and smacked him across the back of the head. The guy really did know me too well.

"Why do you get to be such a smart ass?" I asked.

"Because I am a smart ass, I know all and see all," he said solemnly. I laughed and shook my head. The guy thought he was a damn Shaman. He got a serious look his face again.

"But seriously, Jake you know as well as I do that it's killing you to fight this. I don't even know how you've gone so long without telling Addie already." I looked at him as if to say 'Yeah, you do..' He sighed. "Okay, yeah I know, but you have to accept that she's not coming back any time soon. Alex said her and this Josh guy are really hitting it off. You want her to be happy, right?"

"Not with someone who isn't me..." I said sadly.

It was the truth, and I hated myself for it. Bella was my reason for breathing for so long, and despite the imprint, nothing had changed. When I'd seen Addie, and gravity... jerked, not shifted, I'd been so terrified that this would mean the end for Bells and me. I ran away as soon as it happened. I left Hanover with no intentions of coming back. I was so pissed at Bella then. If she'd just stuck around to talk to me, I could have convinced her to still be _my _Bells, and we could have worked something out. But no, she had to leave, and because of that I'd ended up imprinting. I was adamant that it was Bella's fault. If she'd just told me she was going to NYU then I'd never have met Addie, and I could still be with Bella now. It was only recently that I let go of that anger. I realised that fate would have probably shoved us together some other way. I couldn't blame Bella or something that was destined to happen from the start.

I figured my heart had never worked right. It made me love someone who kept hurting me, and it kept leaping and stuttering in her presence. When I told my dad when I was six how Bella made my heart feel, he just laughed, ruffled my hair, and said "Sounds to me like your heart's just excited to see its other half." That's how I was so sure I wouldn't imprint. What a load of crap that was. I'd imprinted on Addie, and man, I loved her, I really did, but she still didn't block out Bells.

After several months I'd gone to the council and explained what I was feeling, that the imprint was fucked up somehow. I had an Imprint but I had no burning desire to see her, just knowing she was out there seemed to be a comfort. They looked at me like I was crazy but agreed to research into it. The next week, I went to see them again, asking for guidance. A conflicted Alpha couldn't run a pack to the best of his ability. It wasn't fair on the guys and Leah, and the best solution was for me to accept my imprint. At that second meeting, Old Quil informed me that he'd taken a spirit walk, to find out from the ancestors what was wrong with me. They told him that, since I'd loved Bella so much and for such a long time – all my life, to be exact, but no big deal – that I'd unknowingly offered her a part of my soul. As soon as Bella fell in love with me, she'd taken it.

Children love so completely, so unconditionally that I'd given her the most precious thing that I could as soon as I was old enough. It was hers to keep with her, to do as she wished. This wasn't really news to me. I'd have given Bella anything I had. If I had nothing, I'd have given her my very life. And that's just what I did. Bella owned me, mind, body and spirit. That's why I couldn't stand the thought of her killing herself for that leech. It would _literally _have killed me too, but I didn't really know why, I just knew. And now I was screwed - my imprint didn't work because, in order to recognise your soulmate, you had to have a full soul to begin with. I didn't, because part of it was in New York with Bella. That's why I could feel it when she was back in Washington. My essence recognised when the rest of it was coming home. The only way I could get the part of my soul back, and imprint fully was for Bella and I to let each other go. That was easier said than done. We still loved each other, that's why I had to let her move on, maybe then she'd give me back what was mine.

The only part of me that Bella didn't own was my wolf. And damn, he was confused. He knew I was meant to be with Addie, but he'd been enraptured by Bella. She'd accepted him so wholeheartedly that he found a new contentment around her. Then she'd left, and it had broken him, he'd convinced the both of us that Addie was the one. When we saw Bella again, it turned our world on its ass. We were both so ecstatic to see her, claim her, make her ours. Then we realised she had been moving on. The rejection stung us both, despite the fact that it was what was meant to happen. He was impossible when she was around. He was desperate to break free and show himself to her. It wasn't that my wolf wanted to harm Bella, we loved her too much for that, but he wanted her to see him, to accept him again. I knew it was too dangerous. He was much too eager to be near her, and I didn't trust him when our heads were so messed up. Things were just more simple with Addie, he could block everyone else out and focus on her. That's why I sent Bella away, even though it was excruciating. I couldn't resist being near her one last time at Sam and Emily's party. I was a Grade A asshole, and I woke up the next day disgusted with myself for how I'd treated Bells, but I had to be selfish one last time.

So that's how I found myself in this situation, pacing my garage while Embry watched, waiting until it was time to pick up Addie from the airport. She was flying in for spring break, and I'd finally decided that it was time to tell her the secret. My dad was going to help, even though I knew he didn't like her. Dad had been so sure that Bella was the one for me that he'd been thrown for a loop when I told him I'd imprinted on someone else. He was happy at first, but he could tell something was off. When he met her, something about her rubbed him the wrong way. He was always stiff and alert around her, like he didn't trust her fully. I knew he'd come round eventually. Addie is great, and once the imprint was fixed he'd see that.

"You wanna go for a run? Maybe you can work off some of this tension, you don't want to be a wreck when Addie's here, do you?" Embry asked. It sounded like a good idea, so we walked to the tree-line, stripped off and phased.

As usual with Embry these days, I was immediately assaulted with images of him and Alex together. He had it bad for her, almost as bad as I had for Bella without it being an imprint. She was all he thought about, dreamed about and talked about. I was happy for him, but my head was already messed up enough without yet another girl being in there.

_Can you knock that off, Em? Alex is hot and all, but that's a little more of her than I'd care to see..._

I could feel a wave of embarrassment coming from him then and I chuckled internally.

_It's okay man, I get it. I'm really happy for you. Is she coming to visit again soon?_

_No, she talked to Bella about coming for spring break but they decided not to. Maybe summer, though._

I could feel his hope growing as I got a flash of his memory from a few nights before. He was video chatting with Alex as she told him how she'd tried to convince Bella to come home. Then the memory deepened, and Alex was talking about something that I wished I hadn't heard. She was telling him about Bella and Josh... that they'd... no.

_My Bells wouldn't do that. We were waiting to be each other's firsts. She slept with him?_

A wave of anguish almost crippled me and I was forced to stop running and lie down. I couldn't believe this. She was _mine,_ why would she do this to me?

_Shit, Jake, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to show you that, it just slipped out. Fuck!_

I let out a long, mournful howl before burying my muzzle between my front paws. The memory kept repeating over and over in my head as I fought to get rid of it.

"_Hey guess what, our girl finally gave up the V-card.."_

"_Really?"_

"_I know, right? Well she's been seeing Josh for a while. I think she just decided the time was right. She seems happy, I'm really glad for her..."_

I took off running again, Embry hot on my tail. I was going to kill him. That guy, Josh, I was going to run to New York and find him and I was going to rip his throat out. He didn't love her! Not like I did. He didn't deserve to have her offer herself to him like that. She wasn't his.

_She's mine! Mine!_

_Jake! Jake! Man you have to stop, this is crazy!_

_I'm going to break every bone in his fucking body! Who does he think he is?_

_Her boyfriend, Jake._

I stopped short, stumbling over loose earth as my paws found purchase. Embry was right. Bella _was _his. She was stubborn and strong willed, she'd never be forced to do something she didn't want to. She'd wanted this. She'd wanted _him. _

_Dude, you can't take off now anyway, did you completely forget about Addie?_

_Fuck, Addie..._

_Yeah, she'll be touching down soon, do you really want her to get here and you're off causing drama for your ex?_

A wave of guilt flowed from me as I pictured Addie walking into the arrivals lounge at SeaTac, and I'm nowhere to be seen. I had a girlfriend, an imprint no less. I had no right to be this jealous over Bella. I'd needed her to move on, and that's just what I was doing. I turned back in the direction of my house.

_You're right, Em, let's head back._

I had a lot to think about. This week was going to be huge for Addie and me. Once she found out about The Pack, she'd have lots of questions, and I had to have my head screwed on straight to answer them for her. I couldn't think about Bella, imagine that guy's hands all over her soft skin, his lips on hers, her body prone for him... I shook my head, No. It was decided, Addie would be my focus while we got through this.

I was so lost in my thoughts as I phased back, that I hadn't noticed Addie standing my back yard, ready to surprise me by flying in early. I looked up just in time to see her eyes frozen in shock as she'd witnessed me, the large, red wolf, shrink and collapse, leaving in its place her boyfriend. Her legs buckled under her an just like that, she passed out.

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><p><strong>AN: Well guys, a****re we happy to finally see inside Jacob's head? I told you it was a messed up place. He's kidding himself that he can move on from Bella, but he's stubborn to a fault isn't he?**

**How do you think Addie will take his secret? This will be a major turning point in their relationship, and I'm excited to get writing the next few chapters. There will be a few revelations coming up in both plotlines, some you'll probably see coming, some you might not. **

**Until then, let me know your opinions/theories in the comments!**


	14. Josh's Garbage

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen: Josh's Garbage<strong>

Josh and I stared at each other for a long moment. I didn't even know where to start. Well, this explained why he had been avoiding seeing me.

"What..." I began, my throat scratchy with shock, "Who did this to you?" He just stared dumbly back at me, not knowing what to say. "Josh, talk to me. What happened?" I said, reaching towards him to touch his face delicately. He jerked backwards as if he'd been stung.

"Don't Bella, you shouldn't touch me," he croaked, his eyes searching the hallway behind me as if he was afraid we'd be seen.

"I'm sorry, it's just, God, you look awful... what happened?" I was flying through scenarios in my head. Was Josh mugged? Had he been in a fight? An accident?

"Look, I can't tell you, Bella, but it's okay, I'm not in trouble any more, but you need to go," he said.

"Are you breaking up with me?" I asked, feeling my stomach clench as I searched his eyes.

"No!" He exclaimed, before training his voice back to usual volume. "I don't know, Bella, there's a lot going on with me right now, I'm not sure you're safe with me," he confessed.

"What do you mean? Is someone after you?" I asked, "Is this about all that money you have that comes from nowhere?" He looked at me with a pained expression. He seemed torn between what he could tell me and what he couldn't.

"Kind of," he sighed finally. "Look, I made a deal with someone, and I fucked up, they got mad, and I got this," he said pointing to his face and the angry bruises that marred his features.

"Can I come in? Let me help. We can think of a way to get you out of this," I bargained. It was scaring me that he was involved with someone who could hurt him. Josh was a sweet guy, he didn't have a mean bone in his body and someone was using violence to bend him to their will. I couldn't stand the thought that his situation was hopeless. Josh shook his head,

"No, Bella, that's not a good idea. Maybe we can keep our distance for a while... just until I can get a handle on this," he pleaded. The similarity of his words to Jacob's chilled me to the bone. I stood up straight, squared my shoulders and folded my arms. I really liked Josh, but I wasn't going to be jerked around again by another guy,

"You know what, Josh, until you're ready to tell me the truth, why don't we forget about it? Lose my number, don't bother coming to my work. I can't be with someone who can lie to me so much." I turned on my heel and walked back down the hallway, leaving Josh staring after me from the door way. He didn't chase me, and as the elevator doors opened, I heard his slam shut.

It was three weeks before I heard from Josh again. During that time I worried about him constantly. What had he gotten mixed up in? Could he get out of it? Should I even get involved? His dad was a cop, for god's sake, he should know better than to get caught up in something that could be so dangerous. There were even times I contemplated contacting Charlie, and asking his advice, but it would only worry him, and I wasn't even sure Josh was clean of criminal activities.

I passed him in the hallways between classes sometimes, and he always averted his eyes, like he was too ashamed to look at me. I could tell he was sorry, but I wasn't ready to be with him unless he'd be honest and get out of whatever this was that he was a part of. I'd held on to too many secrets in my life, and I didn't think I could handle more. Eventually, he showed up at my dorm with a bunch of roses, fully healed and with a broken look on his face. Alex answered our door to him and stood between us, refusing to let him talk to me.

"She doesn't want to see you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Josh peered over her shoulder at me where I was staring at the ground, unsure of what to do. I missed him, I just couldn't shake the feeling that he was trouble. "I don't know what you've been keeping from her, Josh, but believe me, I will find out, and if she's in danger, I will end you," she said, pointing a threatening finger in his face. Josh stared at the finger and gulped. I couldn't help the small snicker that escaped as I watched them.

"I just want to talk to her, and apologise, that's all, I swear," he pleaded. He sounded so upset I felt my resolve crumbling.

"I don't care what you want, I only care what Bella wants, and if she doesn't want to talk to you, I'll haul your ass out with the garbage," she hissed. "Bella, will Josh be getting better acquainted with yesterday's leftovers?"

My eyes met Josh's over her shoulder and he silently begged me to give him a chance. I don't know if it was those big green eyes or my curiosity that finally swayed me, but I found myself telling her to let him past. He took both my hands in his and gazed at me.

"Bella, I've been an idiot, and you deserve more truth than I've been able to give you, but I swear, if you'll let me, I'll answer whatever questions you have as honestly as I can," he said.

"I don't like being lied to, Josh. If you really knew me that well you'd know that keeping secrets from me is a sure fire way to piss me off," I warned. He nodded.

"I know that now, but I felt I didn't have a choice, look can we talk about this over dinner maybe? Let me take you out," he begged. Alex shrugged at me, leaving the decision in my hands. I knew what I owed myself.

Half an hour later and we were sat in our favourite pizzeria making small talk, catching up over the last few weeks.

"Look, Josh, this is nice and all but there's a reason I agreed to come here and this wasn't it," I said frustratedly. He nodded sorrowfully and cleared his throat.

"Okay, but I want you to just listen to me, and give me the benefit of the doubt. I know I probably won't deserve it, but I really like you, Bella, and I don't want to lose you," he said.

"Then you need to start talking," I replied. I was sick of agonising over this. Josh took his cue and drew in a deep, steadying breath.

"Before I met you, Bella, I was really worried about my mom. She and my dad are talking about divorce, separation, and she confided in me that she's worried about keeping her job. She has Arthritis, you see, Rheumatoid. She's still pretty young to have it but it means that she might have to give up working in the next few years. Her benefits wouldn't come close to her salary now, and if she doesn't have my dad's income, she won't be able to support a household on his maintenance cheques for my little brothers. She's worried about losing them too," he sighed. "Add on top of this, my college fees, which my dad's saying he can't afford and is threatening to cut off if I don't transfer closer to home, and we've got a whole mountain of money crap that there was no way out of."

"One day, I was arguing on the phone with my dad at college, and hung up in rage, when this guy comes up to me, asking to talk. He told me he couldn't help overhearing my argument and he wanted to help. He offered me quite a lot of money to do something for him, and it wasn't really illegal, just kind of, immoral," he explained, "You have to understand, Bella, I was in a bind. My family needed my help and this guy was offering me a lot of money to do something that I probably would have ended up doing for free, had he asked nicely enough," he said, smiling slightly.

"What did he ask you to do?" I wanted to know. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"This is the part I can't tell you, you just have to trust me that it's not illegal, and as long as I don't fuck up again, everything will be okay. The guy I work for, he's pretty understanding, but he just loses his temper if things aren't going his way," he said. I did not like the sound of that. Someone who got so upset that they did the kind of damage that they had done to Josh? He needed to get the hell out of it.

"Josh, I don't like this, what if you piss him off again by accident?" I asked, He shook his head adamantly.

"I won't, as long as I answer all his calls, and keep him informed over every little thing to do with the job, he's happy. We even came to an understanding about the thing that pissed him off last time, so even if that happens again, I'll be okay. Everything's fine, Bella, I swear," he said, moving to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I shook my head away from him and stared at my hands, contemplating all that he said. He was letting me have my space to think as our food arrived. Something was still gnawing at me, the job he had to do. How did he know it wasn't part of a larger scheme? This man he was working for could be into drugs, gambling, any number of illegal activities. I cleared my throat to speak again.

"What do you really know about this guy you work for? He could be in the mob, anything, Josh? How can you promise me that this job won't turn into anything larger?"

"We drew up a contract, a legal one, and it stipulates that at any time I can pull out of the job and the payments will stop."

That put my mind at ease slightly, but not much.

"What else do you know about him?" I asked.

"Just that he's a kid, a young guy, looks barely out of high school. I get the feeling he's older, though," he said. "He's pretty well spoken, it's obvious that he grew up with money." he began. This gave me pause for thought. It wasn't the image I had conjured up in my mind when he had first described his boss. I had been imagining middle aged men in suits with expensive watches. Before Josh could elaborate, his phone started to ring. He fished it out of his jacket and looked at the screen. His eyes darted to mine and his face grew serious.

"It's him," he said before answering and putting the phone to his ear.

The next words out of his mouth made everything click into place.

"Hi, Mr. Masen," he said, pausing to stare at me as I dropped the fork in my hand and it clattered loudly onto the plate.

My heart was pounding and my ringing ears struggled to hear the melodic voice on the other end of the line, but there it was. I realised it was the same person I'd heard him talking to before, but now that I was closer to the phone, there was no problem placing it. I shot my hand out towards Josh, holding it aloft, beckoning for him to hand over the phone. He just stared at me dumbly as my face twisted in fury and I mouthed "_Give me the fucking phone!_"

He frowned at me and shook his head, not wanting to get me involved any more with the charade he was a part of. I lost my patience and snatched it out of his hand. I held it to my ear, hand shaking with anger and spoke calmly into the mouthpiece.

"Edward Cullen, so help me, if you hang up now, I will hunt you down, because you have _a lot _of fucking explaining to do."

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><p><strong>AN: And there it is. Josh's secret. Some of you saw it coming, but was anyone surprised? **

**Once again you get another chapter today because of the great response to the last one! I'm actually four chapters ahead of this it's up to you to get them posted :P**

**So Edward has been paying Josh to keep close to Bella. Apart from him being a massive creep, anyone have an idea of his motivations? You guys have no idea how hard it's been keeping this mystery going. I knew from Chapter Two where I was headed with Josh and had to be careful with my little hints that he was shady!**

**Let me know your opinions on this little plot development in the reviews!**


	15. The Wolf's Out of Addie's Fendi Bag

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen: The Wolf's Out of Addie's Fendi Bag<strong>

I pulled my knees up towards my chin, trying to find a comfortable position in my cramped hallway. This house was _so_ not built for a werewolf. I was sitting on the floor outside my bedroom, listening intently to the sounds coming from my bedroom. It had been fifteen minutes since Addie had fainted upon seeing my furry other half. Fifteen minutes since I'd been able to breathe properly. I was terrified she'd hurt herself, hit her head, that somehow I'd managed to harm her without being within twenty feet. I'd carried her limp body into my room, past the amused eyes of my dad and laid her on the bed, afraid to barely touch her while Embry ran to fetch Emily and then tell the rest of The Pack what had happened. Emily was basically our mama wolf, and all of the imprints had been sent to her when they first found out about us. I hoped that when Addie awoke, she would be calmed enough by Emily's sweet presence to listen to reason. This was not how I'd envisaged telling her.

I could suddenly hear soft groans coming from my room, Emily had been holding a cold compress to Addie's forehead and she was probably starting to come round.

"Emily?" Addie croaked.

"Yeah, it's me, sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

"I don't know, I remember getting out of the cab at Jacob's house, is that where I am?" I could hear the light rustling of the bed sheets as she craned her neck to look around.

"Yeah, you're in Jake's room, do you remember why you fainted?" There was a small hesitation before Addie answered.

"I'm not sure, I think I was hallucinating. I thought I saw a wolf come out of the woods and turn into Jake," she laughed softly. _Crap... darling, that was no mirage... _Emily's silence made Addie's heart rate pick up suddenly.

"I know it wasn't real, Emily, I'm not crazy. I just need some food or something. Where is Jacob? Isn't he worried about me?" she asked. My heart clenched and I fought my instincts to go in and reassure her. But she had to know, and prepare herself before I could talk to her.

"Addie, has Jacob told you any legends about the Quileutes? About wolves?" Addie seemed to think for a moment.

"Not really, he told me that the wolf is like your tribal mascot or something, sorry if that's kind of offensive, I'm not really sure how to word it."

"Don't worry about it," I could hear the smile in Emily's voice. She seemed to be warming to Addie the most out of anyone. "Well, I'm not Quileute myself, I'm Makah, but Jacob, Sam, Embry and the other guys from this Reservation all grew up hearing stories of Spirit warriors, men who could change shape into that of a wolf to protect their tribe..." she trailed off. There was a confused silence as Addie listened to her.

"So wait, do you think I somehow heard these stories and started imagining things? I'm not crazy, Emily. I have no idea what you're talking about and you're kind of starting to freak me out. I want to talk to Jacob, is he here?"

"Jacob asked me to speak to you first, Addie. You see, those stories aren't just legends, we found out a few years ago that they are in fact real. Certain men from the tribe, namely Jacob and his friends, were born with a gene that allows them to transform into a wolf when the threat to their tribe is so great, that human weapons would fail."

Silence.

"I don't believe you."

"Think back to earlier, Addie, if you don't believe me, believe your own eyes. You weren't hallucinating. What you saw was real, sweetie. Jacob is a werewolf."

I heard the thud as Addie's feet hit my bedroom floor and the hesitation as she swayed from standing up too fast. Suddenly, the door of my bedroom was thrown open, and Addie almost tripped over me before she registered I was there. She looked me over for a split second before an angry grimace formed on her beautiful face.

"Were you listening, J? Did you hear the crap your friend was trying to fill my head with? What is this, some sort of sick prank you pull on outsiders? Pick on the new girl because she's gullible and wants to be accepted.. well you can all give it up, I'm not falling for it and I don't give a shit whether they accept me or not."

I stood up to my full height to talk to her.

"Addie, please. It's not a joke, Emily was telling the truth..." I took a deep breath before taking the plunge and saying it. "I'm a werewolf, you saw it with your own eyes, how could we have known what you saw if you were hallucinating?" She seemed to ponder this for a moment as she studied my eyes carefully.

"You're serious, aren't you," she breathed. When I nodded, he face paled dramatically. "You're... you turn into..." she trailed off and swallowed thickly. "I have to go, J, I can't be here, I can't _see _you right now..." she stammered, making her way towards the front door, not even acknowledging my father as he watched from his chair as she flew past him. I tried to ignore how my wolf winced in rejection at her words. Some of the strings of the imprint we'd managed to build up over her visits began to unravel, and I could feel myself growing weaker.

"Are you leaving the Res?" I called to her, just before she turned the handle. She shook her head.

"N-no... I just need to think, just leave me alone, okay?" she said, before the door closed behind her.

I followed her scent to the beach an hour later. She was sitting alone in the sand, just staring out into the water, and the colour hadn't come back to her face yet. I approached her slowly, making sure to warn her so as not to startle her again, she'd been through enough for one day.

"Addie?" I said, softly, as if I was talking to a little kid. "Are you ready to talk about this yet?" he head swung round to face me and I was stunned by the anger blazing in her eyes.

"When were you going to tell me, J? Were you going to wait until I fell in love with you? Or how about when you turned into that... that... _thing_ the first time we slept together? God, I can't believe you've hidden something like this from me for six months. Six months, Jacob!" she was standing now, and her voice had risen to a deafening screech. Man, I hated fighting with her.

"No, sweetie, I swear I was going to tell you this week, it's not something we advertise, the Pack is top secret, most of the tribe don't even know, but we were going to let you in on it during your visit, I swear," I pleaded, holding my hands out in a placating gesture.

"The _Pack_? Ugh, God, you're _organised_? You all group together as those giant monsters and do what, hunt things?" she spat. I was finding my patience wearing thin. I got that she was hurt, but did she have to be so callous about it?

"Addie, please, try to calm down, this isn't easy for me you know, it's something I have to live with. For you to insult it so viciously is making everything so much harder." She snorted in response.

"Oh, wow, Jacob. I'm sorry this is _so _hard for you. _I _just found out that my boyfriend turns into a huge dog but I'd hate to think this is difficult for _you_.." she sneered. I started pacing, anything to calm myself down as I stepped away from her.

"Look, Addie, I need you to just think about what you say to me, the wolf is triggered by anger and you making me angry is going to make it pretty hard for me to talk to you," I informed, squeezing my eyes shut and concentrating on my breathing. My wolf was furious that she'd insulted the pack, insulted us, and he wanted flee the scene, away from her hurtful words. This seemed to startle her into submission, and she looked at me, terrified.

"It's not going to like, come out, is it?" she said, with a tone of disgust in her voice and backing away. I shook my head sadly.

"Not if it's not what you want," I said. There was no way he'd unnecessarily frighten his imprint. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look, J, I'm sorry but this is a lot to take in, I'm sure you didn't react calmly when you found out." I thought for a second and smirked ruefully.

"No, but then again I had four paws and a tail, so I kind of had to get used to it quickly," I joked. Her eyes widened.

"_That's_ how you found out? When you... turned.. for the first time?"

"It's called phasing. And yeah, I told you, it's top secret. We don't even tell the potentials," I said.

"Potentials?"

"Guys who could have the gene, who could end up phasing one day," I clarified.

"So what brings it on? I mean, is it like a full moon kind of thing?" she asked. This was where the conversation led to vampires. I looked her over for a second before I spoke.

"There's a lot more to tell you, why don't you come take a walk with me?" I said, holding out my hand. I tried not to let it sting when she didn't take it, refusing to touch me, but she still fell into step beside me, so all hope wasn't lost yet.

That night, Addie attended her fist tribal meeting as my imprint. She heard the stories of The First Wolves, The Cold Ones, The Third Wife and all of the magic and traditions surrounding the pack, including imprinting and marking. She took in all of the new information with a look of awe on her face, and although she still refused to let her touch me, I felt like we were getting somewhere, and my wolf was getting hopeful. Our imprint was by no means fully in place yet, and our argument today had already damaged our fragile bonds, but I was confident that, eventually, Addie and I would one day be as happy as Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, or Paul and Rachel. We were walking back to my house in silence after the meeting, and not knowing what was going on inside my imprint's head was killing me. Her scent had traces of fear and trepidation in it, and her heart wasn't its usual steady rhythm. I finally gave in and asked what was on her mind. I broke her from her reverie and she looked at me for a long moment.

"Sorry, J, I guess I'm just mulling over everything I learned today. Information overload," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. I reached out to put my arm around her, and then thought better of it.

"I understand, Sweetie, it's a lot to take in. No-one's expecting you to be okay with this after a day," I soothed, berating myself when an image of the day Bella found out about us popped into my head, with Sam telling her she was 'good with weird'. It wasn't fair to compare Addie with Bella, who had spent most of her adolescence hanging around one monster or another. Addie looked thoughtful again, and I could tell there was a question she was afraid of asking me. I didn't want to prod, so I was relieved when she took a breath to speak.

"You and... The Pack, you're needed here, right?" she said, and I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but I nodded truthfully.

"For the foreseeable future, yeah. This is something we're born into, the tribe needs us around. Maybe when we get older, or younger kids phase, we'll be able to hand over the reigns, but for the next.." I let out a puff of air in contemplation, "Ten years, at least, I have to stay here. I'm Alpha. Some of the guys are taking turns to go away to college, like Embry, but we never want to be more than two wolves down in case something happens."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"And because I'm your.. imprint was it?" I nodded in confirmation. "Because I'm your imprint, I have to stay with you?" she asked. Ah, so this is what worried her. She didn't want to be stuck on the Res with me for the rest of her life. I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully.

"Yes, but I would never force you to do that, if it wasn't what you truly wanted. We could try working something out, I mean we seem to do okay being separated for now, maybe that will continue as our imprint grows," I theorised, but I wasn't sure if I myself believed it. I tried to lighten the mood a little, it was way too early to be worrying about this stuff when she had two more years of college left. "I mean, as long as there's a tribe to protect, I'll be here, I can't really expect everyone to follow me around, or scatter across the country so I can go where I want," I chuckled. She gave me a strange look and said nothing for a long time before she shrugged.

"Yeah, guess not."

That night, I had to patrol so I left Addie to her thoughts. She told me she wanted to call her room-mate and her dad to let them know she'd landed safely, and I wanted to give her time to adjust, so I gave her a light peck on the cheek and was on my way. I tried to ignore the fact that she still stiffened every time I came close.

The next morning, Addie was like a different person. She was chirpy, excited and was even extra nice to my dad. I nudged him when he kept giving her suspicious looks. I just hoped this mood would last. Over breakfast, I asked Addie how she was feeling now that she'd slept on things, and she just shrugged, smiling, and said 'the sooner she gets used to the situation the easier it will be'. I was thrilled. _Maybe I can have my imprint after all_.

She stunned me yet again later that morning when she asked if she could see my wolf again. I knew he wanted her to accept him, and was nearly trembling with excitement as we walked out to the back yard. I hesitated when she pulled out her brand new, expensive phone with the built in camera.

"Sweetie, why did you bring your phone?" I asked warily, pausing in undoing my shorts. She shrugged nonchalantly and gave me a gorgeous smile.

" I just want a little proof so that I don't wake up some morning at college and think I imagined the whole thing," she explained.

"Addie, you know we're supposed to be a secret, Right? Nobody can see evidence that we exist..."

"I know that, J, don't worry. I won't show anyone, and my phone has a security measure that it locks down when it gets stolen or lost. Nobody will see this but me. I promise."

I eyed her cautiously, not sure whether to trust that something like that could fall into the wrong hands.

"Addie, I'm serious, if a picture or something of us go out, it would mean the end of me, of the guys. We'd be lab experiments, not to mention the vampires who are yet to find out we exist but who would love to go toe-to-toe with a pack of worthy adversaries. I'm not kidding around here, we can _never_ be exposed. Do you understand that?" She looked me in the eye and nodded.

"I would _never _jeopardise you and your friends like that. I promise this will never get out. Why would I allow something like that to happen?" she asked, taking a step towards me and looking up at me through the beautiful fan of her eyelashes. "I think I'm falling for you, Jacob," she confessed. My heart leapt at her words. I was almost afraid to believe that this could be finally happening for me. I stared into her eyes, looking for any sign of hesitation, and found none. She seemed to sure of herself. "Please, J? I think I need this."

I sighed in defeat. I was already finding it impossible to deny any of her wishes. I reluctantly agreed. She grinned happily as she held up her phone, set the camera to video capture, and I got ready for my film debut.

**A/N: Guys, I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done over the weekend. I've been sick at home and that's how I've gotten most of this writing done. I may as well post as much as I can now and who knows, I could be finished soon (although I doubt that, Jake and Bella aren't even in the same state at the moment..)**

**So... this chapter. Also something I've been planning from early on, and when I finally reached the point where I could write it, I couldn't wait any longer. I don't even know what to say about it.. What do you guys think?**

**Oh and the title's a play on my favourite line from New Moon. :D**


	16. Edward, The Gay Best Friend

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

****Review, and you shall receive,. You begged for it, so here's the next chapter.

**A/N: Warning – in this chapter, Bella finds out she's pregnant by Josh.. No wait, I'm totally kidding. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen: Edward, The Gay Best Friend<strong>

There was dead silence on the other end of the phone, but he hadn't hung up yet.

"Edward, I'm waiting." I chimed. I was not letting him get away with this. "Is there any particular reason you're calling my boyfriend?" I took a look at Josh, who was staring at me with an almost comical expression on his face. He thought he was the one explaining everything today, huh? Not so much.

Finally, there was an unnecessary sigh.

"Bella, love..."

"Oh no, don't you dare 'Bella-love' me! I'm not falling for it, Edward, you're going to give me some answers or I start researching plans for home-made flame throwers!'" I thought I heard an indulgent chuckle on the other end of the line, but if he knew what was good for him, he would not be laughing at me. I was _livid._

"Wouldn't it be more convenient if we rendezvoused at a more private location?" he breathed.

"Oh, I guess you're halfway to my dorm room now, since you seem to know so much about me.." I groused.

"Actually, I was thinking Joshua's apartment, his room-mate is attending catch-up classes until the evening and we will be quite undisturbed." I really didn't want to do this on his terms, but had to admit that it made more sense. Alex would be at home, and I didn't exactly want to kick her out of her own room. I sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but you give Josh and I time to get there first and you _don't _let yourself in. I assume you're not too far away anyway. We've got a new invention called the doorbell now, Edward. I think you should try it out." There was a definite snort of laughter this time and I hung up before I went postal. I ran a flustered hand over my forehead and closed my eyes. I could feel Josh still staring at me.

"We''re meeting him at your apartment as soon as possible, we should probably get going," I said, reaching for my purse to settle our bill. Josh was still speechless and unmoving. "Yeah, Josh that's real helpful. Look I'll explain more on the way back to yours, but we need to go now, I want answers and you don't know enough to give them to me."

This seemed to finally get through the haze and soon we were walking briskly up the street in the direction of his apartment.

"H-how do you know Mr . Masen?" he finally said, shock making his voice sound scrstchy and painful. I gave him a sidelong glance before I answered. I need to know if Josh was in on the Cullen's secret.

"What, you told me back there, was that really everything you know about him?" I asked. He nodded honestly. I think he would have given me his bank account details if I'd asked right then. Then he opened his mouth to speak and I knew there was more.

"Well, I left out one thing... the job description. Mr. Masen told me he worked for your father, and had been given a special assignment straight out of the academy," he sighed. "He told me that your dad helped take down a really nasty drug ring and that he was afraid for you, because some of the guys got out. He paid me to stay close to you and report back if I noticed anyone suspicious hanging around, and keep you away from them. Once I met you I probably would have done it any way, but he seemed genuinely worried about you."

I shook my head frustratedly and groaned. "Of course he did," I sighed. I looked at Josh and pursed my lips before telling him. "Mr. Masen, or Edward, Edward Cullen as I know him. He's my ex-fiance." Josh stood stock still and stared at me.

"Your what? Seriously?"

"Josh, my father is Chief in a tiny town in Washington. He probably sees a drug case once every few months. There was no drug ring. Mr. Masen has been lying to you."

"Why would he have me follow you? I mean, if he wants you back, why not just talk to you instead of hiring me?"

"That's what I intend to find out. Edward's got boundary issues but he's usually looking out for me, and he usually does it himself. I want to find out why he's going through a proxy."

Before long I was pacing the living room in Josh's apartment angrily anticipating Edward's arrival. I'd calmed down somewhat since talking to him on the phone, but I couldn't help the sense of betrayal I felt that Edward and Josh had been working together behind my back. Edward was buzzed into the building and knocked once before I flung the door open and glared at him.

"You! Explain, now!" I seethed. Edward's eyes widened momentarily. I'd never raised my voice to him before. He breezed past me and greeted Josh cordially. He seemed to be distancing himself from him though, and stood at the opposite end of the room.

"I haven't got eternity, Edward," I said as he sat down and simply looked at me. I couldn't help the sting of guilt I felt at that low blow. Once, Edward and I _would_ have had eternity. Together. It wasn't his fault that ship had sailed. I didn't regret it, but I thought rubbing in the whole 'jilted groom' thing was probably below the belt.

"I'm quite aware of that, Bella, which is why I'm trying to keep you alive as long as possible," he countered. There was a slight sharpness to his tone I'd never heard before. Edward was done being eternally pleasant to me It seemed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean that my involvement with Joshua here hasn't been for my own amusement, I've been trying to protect you," he sighed as if I was a three year old he was trying to teach quantum physics. My hackles rose immediately.

"Well, sorry if I'm inconveniencing you, Edward, but I found out today that my boyfriend may as well have been a prostitute hired for me," I sneered. Both men winced at that and Josh held his hands out pleadingly.

"Bella... I swear it started out that way but I really fell for you, and.."

"He was never meant to sleep with you," Edward interrupted sharply. "Taking your virtue was never part of the contract," he said, giving Josh a look that I'm sure would have peeled the flesh from his bones. I slumped back on the chair.

"Wait a minute, the black eye, the busted lip, _You_ did that to him?" I gasped.

"It was an accident, I came over here to admonish him and he didn't get out of the way of the door fast enough," Edward grumbled.

"You still didn't have to sock me before you helped me up," Josh muttered.

"Again, an accident," Edward snapped.

"Edward, what were you thinking? You could have seriously hurt, even killed him..." I said, barely daring to believe that Edward had given in to violence.

"It was a split second decision, Bella. But I'd never intentionally hurt a-" he paused before saying human,"another man," he finished. "It's not a part of my nature I like to give in to, you know that. And I certainly have no intentions of harming Joshua here, even if he's been quite testing at times."

"Yeah well, you've not been quite a basket of puppies yourself," Josh retorted. I sighed, losing my patience rapidly. I felt like I was back in high school between Jacob and Edward all over again. Suddenly a bolt of realisation hit me.

"Wait a minute, all those times I've been talking to Jacob, and Josh has been right there... on the phone... or coming into the coffee shop... that was you? And Alice?" Both men had the decency to look sheepish but said nothing. "I want answers, guys."

"He'd just send me a text message saying it was time to call you or see you, I was just following orders, I didn't know I was interfering with anything..." Josh blurted as Edward pinched the bridge of his nose in a gesture of dismay.

"Is that what this has all been about? You knew Jacob and I would cross paths again so you're trying to keep us apart? Distract me with pretty guys and hope I won't notice?" I screeched. I was pacing now, everything that had happened to me in the last few months was coming together, and Edward was behind it. He shot Josh a strange look before speaking to him.

"Joshua, there are certain things Bella and I need to discuss, that for your own safety, you should not be privy to. Please take me at my word and... make yourself scarce."

"But this is my apartment!"

"I'm paying the rent here, Mr. Garrity," Edward replied, and I cringed. It must be horrible to feel like someone owns you. _Oh, wait, I know exactly how it feels. _

Josh gave me an uncertain look as he stood. I nodded reassuringly before saying, "It's fine Josh, I'm safe with Edward, I promise."

"Fine, I'm taking a shower, I've been sweating like a fat chick in a garbage bag at a barn dance all afternoon..." he said before moving towards the bathroom. Once the door was closed, I made to speak, but Edward held up a hand, halting me until the shower was running and we had some cover of privacy.

"I can't believe you, Edward. You hire some random guy to play Ken to my Barbie and you don't even seem sorry," I hissed.

"Joshua is by no means random. I had to be sure he passed background checks and I vetted his mind for weeks before I approached him. Then there was the attraction factor."

"The what?"

"I had to be sure you'd be attracted to him."

"So what, you only scoped out good-looking guys for me? Gee, Edward, thanks, you'd make a great gay best friend," I snorted.

"That's not what I mean, Bella... didn't anything about Josh seem familiar to you?" I looked at him quizzically, completely lost as to where he was going with this. "Like, for example,. Where he's from... his eye colour, interests, smile, intellect..." he trailed off.

I gasped as it all became so obvious. Chicago upbringing. Green eyes. Endearing smile. Soul of a poet. Love of literature...

"You mean he's.." I couldn't even say it.

"One of my last living relatives, yes," he finished for me."Joshua is the great, great grandson of my mother's uncle. I guess that would make us cousins," he mused.

I suddenly felt sick. "I slept with your cousin, Edward? Gross! How could you let this happen?" Edward's lip twisted into a snarl.

"It wasn't part of his job description, but then he started falling for you, and ruled his decisions with his sexual appetite," he sneered. "Believe me, if I could have stopped it, I would," he said. I ran a hand through my hair uncomfortably and let out a breath.

"Well, I did like him too, Edward. I guess, in a way, Josh is probably more suitable for me than you ever were. The age difference is a little less extreme," I joked. "It's a pity I can't trust him any more." Edward sighed.

"I do apologise for all of the deceit, Bella. Truly I wanted you to lead as normal a life as possible."

"By following me around, and keeping me away from Jacob? Sure. Remind me to go over the definition of normal with you again," I replied sarcastically. I threw myself on to the couch beside him and puffed out a tired breath. Edward turned to stare down at me. I could feel his eyes lingering over my face, my lips as he studied me. Suddenly it was all getting a little too intimate, and I sat up abruptly.

"Look, Edward, you shouldn't worry about 'saving' me from Jacob or whatever. He's with someone else now and we're both trying to make peace with it. It really isn't necessary..." I began before he cut me off.

"This isn't about the mutt, Bella. If I thought he was that much of a threat to you, I'd take care of him myself, treaty be damned. This was about keeping you in the human world, away from werewolves and vampires."

Now I was confused.

"Well then, who are you 'saving' me from, Edward?"

"The only ones who are a true threat to our coven and to you. The Volturi."

I think my heart stopped.

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><p><strong>AN 2: Dun dun dunnnnnn. Sorry, couldn't resist. Aren't you glad I didn't go with the pregnancy thing? It actually crossed my mind to give her a scare, but I felt there was enough drama going on without that.**

**So, Edward's protecting her. What's been happening with The Volturi? How is she even still alive?You'll find out more in Ch18. Until then, we're going back to La Push.**

**Did any of you see the Josh/Edward cousin thing coming? I've been dropping little hints in Josh's character development along the way, maybe they were too subtle.**

**Anywho, I promise this won't turn into Bella+Cullens+Pack vs Volturi. This story's enough of a cliché without that. **


	17. Wing Man

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen: Wing Man<strong>

The rest of Spring break was awesome. Addie finally knew my secret, and The Pack and I didn't have to tread carefully around her, watching what we said all the time. They still didn't seem to be warming to her as much as I would like, and my Dad gave her a wide berth for some reason, but the more time I spent with her, the more confident I got that one day our imprint would work properly and she'd be an integral part of our tribe. We'd gotten to her last full day of Spring break, and I had a lot on my mind. Charlie and Sue had just announced their engagement and we were all really happy for them. They worried that we'd think they were rushing things, but my dad had put their mind at ease – they'd both done the marriage thing before, it wasn't about a big show now, it was just their show of commitment and companionship to each other. It was sweet, but I couldn't help getting a little uneasy. I had to prepare myself for the reality of seeing Bella again for the wedding.

I just wanted to be sure of my imprint more than anything, so I could be over Bella and maybe be able to be her friend again. I was still so hopelessly in love with her that Addie couldn't even make me forget. I hoped that maybe since Addie was leaving tomorrow, we could consummate our relationship. I mean, Bella had moved on, and was probably locked up in that Josh guy's apartment, screaming his name at this very moment, not even giving me a passing thought. I shuddered. If Addie and I could just sleep together, maybe things would start going my way. But she was still afraid of me, and we'd had a full blown argument as to why she wasn't ready a few days before. I was patrolling alone, thinking about how to approach her about it again when Quil phased in and read my thoughts.

_Dude, you still haven't hit that?_

_Can it, Quil. You know better than anyone that it's up to when the imprint's ready._

_Don't be disgusting, dude. Your imprint looks like a Playboy Playmate. Claire's still a little kid. There is zero attraction in our relationship She's my baby girl! _

He was growling angrily at me in his head.

_Of course I know that. I just meant that Addie says she's not ready so I have to wait for her._

_Why isn't she ready? Isn't she attracted to you? Low blow, dude.._

_It's not that, I can smell that she is when we're making out. I didn't want to do it before she knew about the wolf, in case anything weird happened that I couldn't control._

_Well, she knows now, what's stopping you?_

_Because she found out about the pack mind. She doesn't want the rest of you getting a free show._

_But dude, you're Alpha, didn't you tell her that you can control how much we see?_

_Didn't make a difference. She said I could slip up or that I could be thinking about it when one of you guys phase in._

_Ouch, do you think she'll ever get over it?_

_I sure hope so.._

_Well, if she doesn't you could always become my wingman? You know, hit a few clubs in Port Angeles, show the ladies what we got..._

I didn't realise it was possible to mentally waggle your eyebrows, but Quil managed it.

_Thanks for the offer, man, but I can't even consider being with anyone other than my imprint._

_Really? So you're saying if Bella was laying across the back seat of the Rabbit in her underwear you'd tell her to get lost?_

The image that sentence conjured in my head knocked the breath from my lungs. I had to stop running for a moment and centre myself.

_Dude, don't say things like that to me._

_I rest my case._

_Why are you all so against Addie anyway? You guys should be happy I found her._

I felt a wave of mistrust coming off of Quil and my heart sank.

_Sorry dude, it's just how we feel, I can't help it. Something about your girl is off._

I growled mentally at him that'd he'd dare to insult my imprint.

_Look, I'm sure she's great, even if she is a little Paris Hilton to be imprint material, but you don't really know that much about her? How can you expect her to be trusted with Pack secrets? She hasn't even said she loves you yet.._

My memory of Addie filming my wolf with her phone slipped through to him before I could stop it. Quil slammed to a halt in shock.

_Jake, are you fucking insane? You let her film you? You know that's the stupidest thing you've ever done, right?_

_She asked to do it, as my imprint, I couldn't say no.._

_You should have tried harder, dude. I get that you're pussy whipped and all, but if the elders find out about this, you're fucked!_

_I know, I did try to reason with her but I couldn't help it. I made sure she knew what it would mean if anyone got their hands on the footage._

_I don't think that's good enough, Jake. You're our Alpha, you're supposed to protect us. What will happen if this all goes South?_

It wasn't often that Quil got to take the moral high-ground, but when he did, he grabbed on with both hands.

_You're right, man, but it's done now.. what am I supposed to do?_

_Simple.. get the phone and delete all evidence._

_I couldn't invade her privacy like that..._

_Oh really? So when a bunch of Feds come here in Hazmat suits looking for giant wolves, how will you feel about OUR privacy?_

A wave of guilt shot through me once he said that. I'd been such an idiot. Even if Addie had the best intentions, the evidence she had on her phone had the potential to destroy everything I stood for.

_Dude, can you take over? I'm going to phase out and fix this._

_Of course, dude. Do what you need to do to protect us. And for Christ sake, do something about those blue balls, you're killing us!_

Addie was in the shower when I got back to my house. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak into her purse, grab her phone, and get rid of whatever she had on there. I crept stealthily into my room, where she'd been sleeping the last few days. I didn't want her to leave, but I had missed my own bed. Our couch was way too small to get any proper shut-eye on but my dad had insisted that we weren't to sleep in the same room while she stayed. I got the feeling he didn't want her in the house at all, so I bit my tongue to keep from reminding him that when Bella was my girlfriend, she slept in my bed beside me every time she stayed over.

I'd located the phone but she had some sort of screen lock on it that required a code to access the features. I was wracking my brain, trying to think of significant dates in our relationship.

The day I introduced myself?

CODE ERROR

Crap.

Our first kiss?

CODE ERROR.

Fuck!

The sound of Addie's throat clearing in the hallway startled me. I almost phased right then and there. The shower was still running, and she was wrapped in a towel, still dry – she hadn't even gotten in yet.

"What do you think you're doing, Jacob?"

"I- Uh.. well.." _Think of something you idiot!_

"Is that my phone?"

"...Yeah..."

"What are you doing with it?"

I slumped down on the bed and decided to come clean.

"Look, I was talking to Quil when I was patrolling and I told him about the other day when you had your phone. He panicked about the video, or pictures or whatever, and I had to promise him that I'd get rid of all the evidence. I don't want the pack to be nervous about getting found out, they have enough stuff to worry about." She sighed and walked towards me, taking the phone out of my grasp and sat down beside me. She unlocked the screen in one swift motion and handed it back to me.

"Look through the phone all you like, J. you won't find anything." My eyes met hers in shock.

"I won't? What happened?"

"I deleted it. I thought about what you said and decided that even on the very slim off-chance that the video got out, I didn't want to be the cause of exposing your secret. Go ahead, check."

I really wanted to take her word for it, but my instincts told me to be sure. I needed to show The Pack that I'd made certain our secret was protected. I checked all of the media files, photos, videos, even sound clips. I found nothing to do with me apart from a photo of us taken in New York underneath the big Christmas tree. I smiled warmly and handed it back to her.

"Happy now?" she asked. I pulled her into a hug. She stiffened momentarily and then relaxed into my embrace. I wanted more than anything to have the sex talk with her, right then and there, maybe graduate in to something more, but I could tell she was slightly mad at me and didn't need to push my luck.

"I'm really sorry, Addie, I just needed to be sure. I have to think of the pack." She just nodded in reply and got up to go back to the bathroom.

The next day I drove Addie to the airport. She seemed to be in a great mood and I didn't want to think that it might be because she was leaving the Res. I stood with her as she checked in her luggage and soon it was time to leave. Paul and Rachel were celebrating their anniversary and I'd told him he could have the night off and I'd take over his patrol. I didn't really want to think about what they might be getting up to later.

I pulled Addie into a warm hug, and she seemed to be getting used to the close contact again, so I planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. Her scent was so comforting that I wanted to keep one last bit of it with me. She leaned back to gaze up into my eyes and smiled softly.

"J, I've been thinking. I might have an idea that will make it easier for us to be together," she said. My heart soared that she'd been thinking about 'us', and I smiled brightly. "I don;'t want to tell you what that is just yet, but I think it could work. Just know that I really like you, Jacob, and I want you to be with me." She pressed a kiss to me then, and I couldn't help the feeling of contentment from my wolf and I.

"Okay, sweetie, I trust you. Just don't keep me waiting too long. You'll be back at the start of summer, right?"

"Yeah, as soon as school lets out, I promise," she smiled. "Oh, and I've been meaning to tell you, My dad's going to be In Washington around then for a conference. He wants to meet you since you and I have been together so long and he's just talked to you on the phone." I was suddenly nervous. Geoffrey Pendleton was a rich, powerful man who I got the feeling thought Addie should be with someone just like him.

"Okay, great..." I replied, not feeling the fake excitement I was trying to show.

"Don't be nervous, Jacob, he knows how much I like you," she said. I nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling of unease that was settling in my chest. For some reason, I wasn't sure that it was just nerves that Addie's dad wouldn't like me.

"Oh and tell your father, he really wants to meet Billy too. He says he's never met a real live Chief before. He's excited!" she beamed. I kissed Addie goodbye and made my way out to the car. I turned on the engine, searching for a calming radio station; anything to help me shake the feeling of dread that followed me all the way home.

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><p><strong>AN: So, do we believe her? Is she still up to something?**

**Sorry if you were hoping for a big reveal in this chapter, but it's not quite the right time for that yet. Soon though!**

**Glad Quil could be the voice of reason in this situation. I think Jake needed the kick up the butt to realise what he could potentially have done.**

**Addie still hasn't told Jake she loves him. She must be blind and stupid, I mean, come on!**

**Next chapter is the fall out between Bella, Edward and Josh. We'll find out why Edward had to use a human to look out for Bella, and what's going on in Volterra.**

**Will Bella forgive Josh and agree to start over?**

**Let me know your opinions!**


	18. Virgin Guilt

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen: Virgin Guilt<strong>

"Ouch!" I hissed, trying to suck some relief on to my injured tongue. "Got any milk?"

"Sure! Gimme a sec," Josh replied before practically tripping over himself to get to his fridge. I hugged the coffee mug closer to myself and just watched him. He really was trying hard, but after everything I'd found out today – the lies, the deceit, the fact that he was Edward's freakin' cousin... I couldn't see a future for Josh and me. He sat down opposite me with the milk and just stared.

"Josh, you're starting to creep me out..."

He shook his head as if waking from a dream and set the milk down in front of me.

"Sorry, Bella, It's just that I learned so much about you today. You're like a different person than I thought... and I kind of like that you're so mysterious," he smiled shyly. I topped up my coffee and raised an eyebrow at him.

"So you find me having an ex-fiancé who pays people to date me a turn on? Suddenly I'm feeling like the normal one here, Josh," I joked as I took a sip. Edward had left after giving me a brief explanation about the situation with The Volturi, and I'd panicked once I heard the shower stopping and started nudging him to leave. I refused to put another human in danger with The Volturi like I was.

_**Twenty-five Minutes Ago...**_

"_What the fucking fuck?" screeched and Edward winced._

"_Bella, I really don't know what's happened to the standard of your language, but there's something distinctly werewolf about it..."_

"_That is so not important right now, Edward. I'm stressed! Are you telling me that The Volturi are coming to check that I've been turned?"_

"_No, made a promise to them and I'm upholding our end of the bargain. Although my being here certainly complicates things," he mused._

"_Edward, I swear, if you don't stop talking in riddles, I will go to The Volturi and allow myself to be turned just so I can kick your ass. And remember, I'd be a newborn, so I really could kick your ass!"_

"_That's something I really wish you wouldn't joke about, Bella."_

"_Who's joking?" I grumbled, and Edwards lips quirked up on one side in a small, crooked smile. It'd been so long since I saw him do that, that it kind of made me pause. He was dazzling me again without even trying, but I realised that everything I was feeling for Edward was nostalgia. If I loved Edward again, maybe I could go back to the days when he was the only important thing in my life, and I didn't have to make any tough decisions on my own because he made them for me. I could be a stupid teenage girl just in love with her vampire boyfriend and spend my days in our meadow, laying amongst the flowers with him, and if I wasn't, daydreaming that I was. But why the hell would I want to be that person again? Sometimes I think back to how I was then and I wish I could go back and shake myself. I also wondered how Jacob didn't do that for me._

"_Bella, six months ago, Alice received a vision that showed The Volturi making contact with Carlisle regarding your turning once again."_

"_You all told me that it could be years before they even think about me again, I could be old and grey before they checked!" I snapped, standing up out of the seat and clenching my fists at the sides. I had no idea where all of this aggression came from but I think it was justified._

"_I know that, Bella, but in the time being, they have acquired a new member of the guard, She has special talents, as many of them do," he informed, giving me a grave expression. I sank down into the chair again and prepared myself._

"_Alright, lay it on me," I sighed._

"_This new member, Mariette, they call her. She's a kind of tracker, like James was." The mention of that name still caused a cold chill of dread to settle in my chest, despite the fact that he'd been dead nearly four years. Edward reached out and covered my hand with his own. "The thing is, instead of using scent, she has what is sort of a psychic network that is connected to all of the vampires in existence." My eyes bugged out of my head. _

"_So what, she can see into other vampires minds, like you? Can she read thoughts?" I was panicking now. The Volturi were formidable enough without recruiting new, impossible-to-kill members. Edward shook his head and attempted to explain._

"_Her network serves only one purpose, Bella. Mariette can see blood singers," he said simply._

"_You mean, like me?"_

"_Yes, exactly like you. I had the privilege of meeting her in Volterra and was able to get a look at what the inside of her mind is like. It was an interesting place, visually, when she was using her powers. Any time she calls upon them, a mental map of the world appears in her head. On it, there are red, glowing pin-pricks that represent the vampires of the world. I had never realised there were so many of us," he said, thoughtfully. "One thing The Volturi are using her for is creating a list of vampires, so we may finally have a census, of sorts," he informed. He sounded practically excited. Clearly my impending death had slipped his mind._

"_Yes, I'm really happy for the vampire world, but how does Mariette's power work on singers?" I asked rudely._

"_I was getting to that, dear. On Mariette's mind map, there are also blue pin-pricks. It took me a while to figure out what those represented, and she eventually told me herself. The blue ones are singers. Once a vampire comes in contact with their singer, the singer appears on the map," he explained._

"_Oh, great, so now I can _never_ hide from them? I've got a glowing blue light above my head that says 'free meal, get it while it's warm and drinkable'," I groused. He rubbed a soothing hand up and down my arm._

"_I'm sorry love, but it was a development we couldn't have foreseen. The Volturi are able to see if you're human or not without checking."_

"_Are you saying I'll have to be turned anyway?" I said, the panic rising in my voice. I didn't want to believe that I'd had to go through all of this for nothing. That Jacob fought tooth and claw to convince me to choose life, only for me to get changed against my will. No, I would fight for my humanity; it wasn't fair that I could lose it over falling for the wrong guy._

"_For a while, it looked that way, yes. So Carlisle and I made the trip to Volterra to negotiate with them ourselves."_

"_And what happened?" I asked, truly humbled that Carlisle would inconvenience himself for the sake of me. Who was I to him now? Edward smiled ruefully._

"_Carlisle happened," he said with a note of awe in his voice. "He's still so well respected by them that Aro doesn't even read his thoughts. He's so sure Carlisle will never lie to them that he says Carlisle's word is enough." I breathed a sigh of relief._

"_So they don't know about..." I began, my heart rate returning to normal._

"_Oh they do, the Volturi have known about the Quileute Shape Shifters since the treaty was established, they just don't see them as much of a threat," Edward said, as if reading my thoughts .I stared at him, my face paling and swallowed thickly."They don't know about Jacob and the current pack, but they are aware that there's a chance more boys could go through the transition. It's just that, when you rule the entire vampire world, a tiny corner of Washington is quite insignificant." The thought didn't make me feel better, but I guessed that it was a good enough sign that Jake, Leah and the guys were still alive right now. _

"_So was it this respect that convinced them to listen to him? I mean did Carlisle just_ ask_?" I said, finding myself getting a little irritated at the thought I'd been so worried about this when all it took was for Carlisle to go to Volterra. Edward shook his head, moving around in the seat as he started to explain._

"_The Volturi have pets, right? Humans that they allow to live with them, without killing them." I nodded my head, remembering the beautiful receptionist, Gianna, from my time there. "Well, despite having no respect for their lives, The Volturi are pretty fond of their pets, and they are quite spoiled. But something started happening while we were visiting with them," Edward said dramatically. _

"_The humans in Volterra started getting ill. At first it was thought that a strain of swine flu had reached the city, but it was soon established to be a contamination in the water supply. The humans got extremely ill, and The Volturi were enraged. They had been keeping these pets for quite a while, some of them years, and after everything they would die of natural causes. On top of that, the humans that had been fed from managed to make the vampires feel ill. It only lasted a day after feeding, but it spooked them to such a degree that many of them went much farther afield to hunt."_

"_Let me guess, Dr. Cullen to the rescue?"_

"_Exactly, Carlisle was able to identify the contamination and help redirect the water stream into the city so only clean water was brought in. Then he saved almost every human that had been infected."_

_I smiled warmly at the new information. "If anyone could do it, it's your father. So where does that affect me?"_

"_In exchange for his services, Aro granted Carlisle one request, anything in the world he could possibly want. So Carlisle requested that Bella Swan keep her human life."_

_I was absolutely floored. I had an unmistakable desire to find Carlisle and place kisses all over his face._

"_Edward, I'm speechless, how can I ever thank him?" I asked._

"_He just wants you to stay human, Bella, like you chose to. That's all Carlisle could ever want. The thing is, The Volturi had a condition."_

"_What kind of condition?"_

"_I told you before, their one law above all others is to keep our kind a secret. They wanted to be assured that you have no proof of our existence in your possession, so you would have no way of going public. "_

"_Edward, I would never... I mean, it would put you all in danger, not to mention the humans who would think they'd be able to take on vampires only to get killed..." I rambled before Edward tried to soothe me._

"_We know that, Bella, but the Volturi don't like to take any chances. They had to be assured that your involvement in our world would end immediately. No supernatural elements any more."_

"_But I have been living a human life. You're the first vampire I've seen since I left Forks!"_

"_I know, Bella, but it's not just vampires that you have to worry about, it's the werewolves too. If you're around them, then there's a chance you could meet more vampires. The Volturi hadn't considered it, but it is a possibility. We needed you to stay away from the werewolves too."_

"_So that's why you've been keeping Jacob and I apart?"_

"_Your future disappeared mid December, so Alice and I concluded that it meant you and Jacob had reconciled."_

"_That's not good enough, Edward, you've been purposefully ruining my relationship with Jacob behind my back, all this time. Jake and I aren't even together. We never will be again since he imprinted. And this is what you've been worried about? Is that why you hired Josh?" I asked angrily._

"_We couldn't take the chance you'd go back to him," he said._

"_Are you sure that's all this was about?" I asked. The guilty look on his face said it all. "So I thought. Edward," I sighed, "you have to get past this. I don't even know why this is still an issue. Yes, I chose him, but I couldn't stay. Neither of you won technically."_

"_The mutt doesn't deserve you and on top of that, he could put you in danger. Forgive me for thinking that keeping you apart was for the best," he spat. I couldn't even be bothered to argue back, this was the same fight we'd been having since I was in high school._

"_Edward, did it ever occur to you to tell me about all of this and let me make the decision? Maybe if I'd known that I had to stay away from the pack then I would have done it." He gave me a disbelieving look and I laughed softly._

_Okay, maybe I wouldn't, but I would have told you myself if there was any vampires around and let you protect me if I needed it." Edward sighed heavily in regret._

"_I am sorry, Bella. I thought I was doing what was best."_

"_I understand that, Edward, but this has shown me that you haven't changed at all. Some day you'll find someone you want to change for, it's just not me."_

"_Joshua is getting out of the shower," he whispered._

"_Look, I really don't want anyone else in danger, maybe it's best if you leave and I'll talk to Josh," I said, already herding him towards the door. "Oh, shit, wait! What happens now? I wasn't supposed to have any contact with vampires!" I said, starting to panic again._

"_I'll have to travel to Volterra and show them that it's the last time, and that you have no intentions of outing us," he replied sadly._

"_So... I'm just never going to see you again?" I asked, already feeling grief crawl its way into my heart. Edward looked at me a long moment before reaching out to stroke my face._

"_If it keeps you safe, I'll do it. I'd do anything for you to survive, Bella," he said. I felt tears threatening to spill through already and we were running out of time._

"_Come see me once more okay? Just one last time. I don't want our last goodbye to be like this! I'll always love you, Edward." He searched my eyes a long moment before answering._

"_If it's your wish, I'd love to. I promise you'll see me again."_

Edward left straight after that, which is how I found myself sitting in Josh's little kitchen, blowing on my coffee and psyching myself up to tell yet even more lies.

"You don't have to keep up the dating thing with me, I mean, wasn't it kind of hard to pretend you were feeling things you weren't?"

"Not at all, I mean, I liked you as soon as I met you, that much is true. The more time I spent, the more I wanted to be around you, and then there's today. I guess I saw how strong you can be. You didn't let Edward walk over you and I get the feeling that's the first time that's happened."

"Pretty much, yeah. Edward called the shots when we were together. The first time I ever put my feelings first was the day I broke up with him. Even then, all I could do was apologise for not loving him enough."

"Wow, now I see why he looked so shocked."

"So much has happened between us that it'd take days to explain. And that's before I'd even get started on Jacob."

"Bella, your...friend... Jacob, he's the same boyfriend you left to come to New York isn't he?" I suddenly started feeling guilty for playing round with the truth so much.

"There it is again," he said suddenly. I gave him a puzzled look. "Every time you think about this Jacob guy you get a guilty look on your face," he exclaimed. I blushed under his scrutiny.

"It's not that I'm guilty over Jacob, it's that I felt guilty I didn't tell you that Jake and I were more than friends."

"But it's all in the past, right? I mean you're still single..." he said, trailing off. I couldn't believe he was going there with me.

"Are you kidding me, Josh? I found out today that you've been lying to me from the moment we met. I don't know whether to believe a word you say!"

"Bella, believe me, I had a whole back-story made up and as soon as I met you, I threw it away. I wanted you to get to know the real me. Everything I told you was the truth, I swear!"

"Apart from the fact that there was a shady man in the shadows wanting to know my every move, of course," I said dryly. "He could have been anyone, Josh!"

"But he wasn't!"

"But you didn't know that!"

"I had to keep up the lie!"

"And you still slept with me!"

He had no reply to that.

"Look, Josh, there's no point in arguing about this. We both know you were wrong and we can't do anything to change it."

"Bella, I swear, I hadn't known you were a virgin until you told me, and by then I was already so attracted to you, and you looked so good and I thought, 'she likes me, I like her, this can't really be that wrong, can it?'" he rambled. I shook my head in disgust.

"I can't believe I gave my virginity to someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a con artist."

"I really like you, Bella."

"Yeah, well I really liked you too but that doesn't matter now, Josh, I know what you're trying to do, but believe me, it's a hopeless cause. I can't trust you again."

"Maybe if you just gave me one more chance, we could start over, come clean with everything..." he started, but I had to stop him. We couldn't do that. I didn't trust him, we couldn't start over, and most importantly, _I_ couldn't come clean about everything. I couldn't hope to have that kind of honesty with any of the humans in my life. With a heavy heart, I shook my head.

"Josh, you don't know how much I wish we could do that, but it's too late. The trust is gone, and we've had too many secrets, I'm sorry." He nodded his head sadly.

"I get it. I'm going to be kicking myself for the next few years, you know. Wishing I'd met you before Edward approached me. Wishing I'd come clean sooner."

"I wish you had too, Josh." I was standing beside him now, as he held his head in his hands and I ran my fingers through his cropped, sandy hair. "Look, I think it's time for me to go," I said, grabbing my purse to leave. He got up and walked me to the door.

"Maybe we could be friends. Bella? I mean, I am the guy you got along with. I'm still me." I wasn't sure how to answer him so I just nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, sure... maybe."

I was just out the door and turned back to give him a hug, when something seemed to occur to him.

Hey, Bella? Who are The Volturi?" he asked, and my blood ran cold.

"Josh, promise me you will never, ever mention that name to anyone. Do you understand me?" Something about the look in my eyes scared him into agreement. "Look, it's for your own safety, leave that name alone. Forget you ever heard it," I said. He nodded obediently and I breathed a sigh of relief. We said our goodbyes and closed the door. I had just stood in the elevator at in Josh's building when my phone chimed, signalling a text message. It was from Alex.

_**Why didn't you tell me about the wedding! We're going shopping, lady, and finding something that will blow La Push's socks off!**_

I stood, dumbfounded.

_Wedding?_

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><p><strong>AN: This was so hard to write. Edward's story was so bloody complicated. How did I do? I feel weird about this one. Oh well, it's up now.**

**Thoughts? Opinions? Flames?**


	19. Cartoon Nurses and Bribery

****_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

><p>Chapter Nineteen: Cartoon Nurses and Bribery<p>

**Embry POV**

Long distance is hard. I mean, when you're seeing someone as smokin' hot as I am, and you don't get to paw her whenever you feel like it, 'Little Embry' can get kind of sad (in case there's any confusion, 'Little Embry' is my penis. Quil said 'little' suits him. I chewed his left forepaw just for that – 'Little Quil' didn't get any happy alone time for a few hours after that one). Alex gives me plenty of material for my fantasies, no doubt about that, but I swear, sometimes there's very little standing in my way of dropping everything and literally running across the country to show up at her dorm. Especially the other night: Alex had the place to herself, and she Skyped me wearing nothing but a negli- neglig-... _nightie _and sucking on a lollipop. Girls are amazing. They have special names for their underwear and they make candy sexy.

I'm aware that I sound like Jake in the infamous Days of Bella. Hell, I sound like Jake _still _does half the time. His head is so messed up, I tell ya, it's no party being inside it.

"_Bella Bella Bella _

_Get Bella back Bella Bella _

_NO wait Addie _

_Oh shit -guilt guilt guilt- call Addie _

_Maybe call Bella too just for a second?_

_No no no ADDIE! Stupid!"_

I've been trying not to patrol with him so much, mainly because he spends the time probing my memories of Alex for mentions of Bella. He tries to pretend he's not doing it, but I can feel him in there, sticking his snout where it's not wanted. Even after the guy specifically told me not to tell him anything about Bella's new life. See how messed up he is? It's like he can't help himself. That's why I replay Alex and my sexy times for him. I usually concentrate on me during those memories so he doesn't get too much of a show, and he lets go pretty soon. It works almost as well as when Leah replays her Gynaecologist visits. That shit will haunt you.

I can't_ not_ patrol with him though; Jake's like my brother, for real. I would die for that guy. I know he'd do the same for me. And Quil. Yeah, I'd die for Quil too, but please don't tell him. He'll just make kissy faces at me and tell me he's flattered but still straight. He's such an ass.

Looks like I'll be patrolling more with Jake now though, since the last pack meeting. I couldn't believe it, but Sam's decided to stop phasing. He's been working as Jake's Beta since he took over as Alpha, kind of as an advisor of sorts, to help ease Jake from puppyhood into fully fledged, 'don't-fuck-with-me-or-you'll-get-the-beatdown' Alphahood. I'm pretty proud of him. Despite everything, like his messed up imprint and his messed up love life, he's still been a damn good Alpha. And he's a lot more understanding of us non-imprinted wolves, not that there's many of us left. Sam always tended to think that if the wolf didn't have an imprint then he was free and easy, could always be there to shoulder extra responsibilities.

See if I wanted the night off for a date? Forget about it. All Jared would have to say is "Kim's got her period and needs me to rub her back" and BAM, three day vacation. Fuckin' imprints. I had stuff to do to too, between work and school and taking care of my mom... and the stream of ladies. Okay, maybe not a stream, maybe a trickle. I wasn't lonely, I did okay. Nothing compared to now though. Did I mention my witty, intelligent, understanding, insightful, smokin' hot girlfriend? Yeah, she's not an imprint but she deserves my unwavering attention. I can't really tell her that I'm busy running around in the dark every night sniffing out leeches on four paws can I? And I can't tell her one of the proudest moments of my life either , which kinda blows. Today, Jake named me as next Beta until I leave for college.

I couldn't believe it. I mean, I go from the Res' illegitimate bastard son who nobody but Jake and Quil and their parents gives a fuck about, to one of the highest respected members of The Pack. Granted, nobody but The Pack, their imprints and the Elders even know about The Pack, but still, my name will go down in Quileute history as Beta of the Black Pack. Now _that_ is freakin' awesome. So here I am, sitting at my laptop, wishing I could make my girl proud of me. I really think she would be, if she knew the secret I mean. I don't think she'd freak like Addie did. Thing is, we'd have to be dating three years before I could tell her, and even then it's only if Jake and the Elders allow it. I guess I'll just have to settle for Skype sex...

_AlexM has just signed in._

_CallmeCall: Hey baby, up for a video chat?_

_AlexM: Holy shit Embry, you would not believe the evening I've just had. Bella's currently asleep face down in her bed with a bucket handy!_

Okay... no Skype sex...

_CallmeCall: Aww, shit, does she have a concussion again? Because Jake will not like that. He gets all freaky-big-brotherish when she gets seriously hurt. When it's just normal Bella stuff he usually laughs at her though... how bad is it?_

_AlexM: No, she's not concussed, she's wasted!_

_CallmeCall: But it's like 8pm there?_

I knew college kids were crazy into partying but even this seemed a little extreme.

_AlexM: I know! I've only seen Bella drunk like six times. All of them hilarious. One time, we were at this Art student, Lacey's place, and she told his guy he needed more sparkles and threw a pot of glitter at him. It was so funny. But he was a sleaze so he totally deserved it._

I decided to pay extra attention to blocking that particular story from Jake.

_AlexM: This other time, she started crying when she saw this guy's pet husky and asked if they came in red, because 'the best wolves are the red ones'_

Okay, maybe I'll let that one slip through...

_CallmeCall: So how come she's wasted?_

_AlexM: Well it's partially my fault, but I can't be held responsible for someone misconstruing a text message!_

_CallmeCall: Okay, you're going to have to explain that one._

_AlexM: Alright well, you know how you told me Bella's dad's getting married to Seth and Leah's mom?_

_CallmeCall: Yeah...?_

_AlexM: Well, I assumed Bella knew, it being her dad and all, but she's been so busy these days with Josh and her hot, weirdo ex coming to visit that she hadn't returned his calls!_

_CallmeCall: WAIT... weirdo ex? What weirdo ex?_

_AlexM: The fiancé, Edward. He just showed up and it turns out he and Josh had some weird bet on to mess with Bella's head. It's all really hard to understand when the person telling you the story is crying and trying not to puke at the same time..._

Okay, definitely avoiding patrolling with Jake until I get the full story on _that_ one. In the middle of Alex's explanation, Jake himself sent me a text message.

_CallmeCall: BRB, phone's beeping!_

_**-New Message from Jake-**_

"_**Dude, I have this weird voicemail on my cell and it sounds kind of like Bella, but it's really muffled. Now the person isn't picking up. Did you hear anything from Alex today? :S"**_

I quickly replied so I could decide what to do with all this new information being dumped on my lap, plus figure out how to tell Jake. I just needed to buy some time with a few white lies. Was this what being Beta was like? I already had a headache.

"_**Yeah man, Alex says Bella was wasted today, some college party thing. It was probably a butt dial, stop worrying!"**_

_**-New Message from Jake-**_

"_**Why was Bella wasted? And how does she have my number? Was she alone? Did that Josh guy get her really drunk? 'Cause if he did... :[!"**_

This is exactly why I can't tell him half a story. See what I have to put up with? Also, Jake is way too old and male to still be using smiley faces.

"_**I gave it to her and forgot to tell you. Alex has her safe in her dorm now, QUIT WORRYING."**_

_CallmeCall: Baby, Jake just texted me asking if you knew if Bella had been trying to reach him. He has some weird ass voicemail from her that he can't understand.._

_AlexM: HAHAHA! OMG! This is what I was about to tell you. I texted her today asking why she hadn't mentioned 'the wedding' and asking if she wanted to go shopping._

_CallmeCall: Lingerie shopping?_

_AlexM: ...yes, we need the perfect lingerie to wear to BELLA'S FATHER'S WEDDING. Baby, focus on the story!_

_CallmeCall: Sorry..._

_AlexM: Anyway, I texted her that, she has no idea what I'm talking about. What's the first conclusion she jumps to? Jake and Addie!_

_CallmeCall: Shit... she thought..._

_AlexM: Yep! She was on her way home from Josh's and she decided to stop in this dive bar to drown her sorrows. She had a seriously shitty day and I didn't hear from her for three hours, when I tracked her down, she was HAMMERED._

_CallmeCall: Crap, so she really did not take it well thinking Jake was marrying Addie?_

_AlexM: No, I really don't know how she would think I'd be so blasé about it.. I mean, I know how she still feels about Jacob, anyone can see that._

_CallmeCall: Apart from both of them... but it's way too complicated to get into._

_AlexM: Don't worry, from what I've gathered, they're best left to work it out themselves._

_CallmeCall: So what happened when you found Bella?_

_AlexM: Well, she was sitting with these three old chicks, and they were bitching about men. Bella has Adele's 'Someone Like You' playing on the Jukebox, and – get this - she was calling directory assistance asking them for 'Her Jake's number'_

I had to laugh into a pillow, or surely whoever was patrolling would hear and asked to be let in on the joke. This was too much.

_CallmeCall: Holy shit, that's hilarious!_

_AlexM: I know, right? She was wailing along with the song and kept saying "I'm gonna like stand up during the ceremony, and be all 'I know of a lawful impediment! THEY SHOULDN'T BE JOINED IN MATRIMONY BECAUSE SHE'S A MEAN GIRL AND JAKE'S MY SUNSHINE!'"_

_CallmeCall: HAHAH Oh my God, I forgot how funny Bella can be. Oh Christ... can't breathe_

_AlexM: Embry, I had to threaten to call the cops to get her to leave with me, and even then I was sure she'd somehow managed to call Jacob. I guess I got my answer._

_CallmeCall: Yeah you did. Holy crap that's so funny!_

_AlexM: Oh shit, baby she's waking up. Do you mind if I take a rain check for our video date to go play nurse?_

_CallmeCall: Only if you promise to play nurse to _me _some day..._

_AlexM: I forgot you don't know about my Nurse Joy from Pokemon costume from last Halloween..._

I have got to marry this woman. She is never leaving my sight. Pokemon and sexy nurses?

She signed out before I could even reply. Now I have to take a cold shower. Ugh. Long distance is hard.

**Jacob POV**

The dread didn't subside at all after Addie left, and my dad showed no desire to forge family bonds with Addie's father. It seemed that Billy had been spoiled before – Bella's dad was his lifelong best friend, it wasn't as if there had ever been any awkwardness between them. Part of me wanted to be mad at him for not giving Addie a fair shot, whilst another part was so touched that he still held Bella in such high regard that Addie would constantly be compared to her. It was the one thing I couldn't allow myself to do.

The biggest part of me though, still held this indescribable weight in my chest when I thought about the upcoming meeting. Mr Pendleton had sent gift baskets, food, made a donation to the tribal school and even set up a payment to the "Youth Outreach" account Sam had set up for The Pack in its early days as a front for what we were really doing. That balance was getting considerably larger these days along with the donations the council had made for show (what kind of council would they be if they hadn't supported a youth program with such great results?), and I'd need to start planning what to do with it. I was thinking maybe some sort of grant program for pack members, provided they made formal proposals detailing what the money was needed for, and unanimous approval by the rest of The Pack. It's not like we could lie to each other.

All in all, Addie's dad was being a huge help, and although I'd heard grumbles amongst some wolves of "charity" and "showing off", I tried not to let it influence me, which meant it still didn't explain this dread I was feeling. If I'd listened to my conscience, I would have heard it screaming "bribery!". But I was too blinded by Addie, by having an imprint, by wanting to be loved unconditionally to let myself do that. Regardless, even through the blindness there was something about the idea of meeting Addie's dad that had me tied up in knots, and I found myself anxious for it to be over.

Of course, if I'd known, I would have never agreed to it in the first place. Who would have thought _my imprint_ would be the one to find a way to make me leave the Res - my home, my heritage, my history, _my inheritance_ – behind, forever?

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><p><strong>AN: The next chapter will also be Jacob's POV.**

**Just a note on that, Jake's timeline has been running shorter than Bella's timeline (covering two weeks compared to one month of Bella's life, and starting two weeks after St. Patrick's day, March 17th) This snippet in this chapter is a general overview of the weeks following spring break towards the summer when Addie arrives. I'll be doing a more in-depth look into that as well as the lead up to Charlie and Sue's wedding, and finding out what Addie's been up to. I **_**think**_** the next Bella chapter will be when she's coming back to Forks. That will be either chapter 20 or 21. I'm not sure yet. **

**Hopefully this isn't too filler for you all, but there's just been so much angst lately I wanted a little bit of relief from that. Plus, a lot of you seem to be Alex/Embry shippers. So am I! I thought they should get a little more focus. Plus, Embry's been quiet, it's about time we heard from him. Plus, he's so awesome.**

**Let me know your opinions in the comments!**


	20. Ding Dong, The Bitch Is Dead

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: I find it interesting that I got four PMs from people telling me the story is taking too long.. daily (sometimes twice daily) updates not enough for you? :P As said before, the fic goes up first on Jacob Black N Pack, so the ladies there have been getting the exclusives. New members are always welcome. With the publishing of chapter twenty, both sites are now at the same point.**

**This chapter is for those who stuck with me and let the story go at my pace. I hope it was worth your patience. ;)**

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><p><strong> Chapter Twenty: Ding dong, The Bitch Is Dead<strong>

**Jacob POV**

When I took over as Alpha, Sam bestowed on me a wealth of advice. Take notice of tension, resolve conflicts early, let Leah choose her own patrol partners, don't patrol with Quil after having sex... but the most important one, he said, was that an Alpha was part of a pack first, and a leader second. A good Alpha takes stock of his pack's opinions. He investigates their fears and listens to their doubts, and if he's the leader he's meant to be, he will never, ever dismiss something a pack member is worried about. I wondered when I forgot this. Was it when I figured out the guys didn't like Addie? Was it when I decided that no matter what anyone thought, we were going to be together? Or was it the day I imprinted on her and they all knew something was wrong?

I'm Alpha, and telling me that I imprinted _wrongly _was the equivalent of criticising my howl or my phasing technique; it made me feel less of a wolf. So that's part of the reason I threw myself so wholeheartedly into trying to make my imprint work- stupid wolf pride. Yeah, a lot of it was so I could get over Bella. I wanted to badly to stop hurting over her, and the tension my wolf was causing us was making it impossible for us to be civil to one another. I loved Bella, but if we really couldn't be together, then I sure as hell was going to still be her friend. We owed it to the people we used to be and I owed Bella most of all. I was too hurt to see it at the time, but by running off, Bella did the one thing I wasn't brave enough to do. I shouldn't have expected her to stick around and be hurt again. I claimed to love her so much but yet I was too selfish to let her go.

You're probably thinking _where the hell has Jake gotten all this insight from? _ Well when you've been through what I have in the past week, where you almost tore your friends, your pack, your family and the entire reservation apart, it gives you a lot to think about.

The final weeks of my school career had been a bit of a blur to be honest. Quil, Embry and I graduated, meaning we were finally going to be recognised as the adults we'd been for the past two-and-a-bit years. The celebrations were awesome; I was left to bask in the warmth of family and brotherhood and I knew in my heart that, although I wanted to make something of myself, realise my dreams of opening my own garage, building my own house and taking care of my dad for the rest of his life, none of those dreams would take me away from La Push. It's my home. I love everything from the colour of the sand on first beach to the smell of the leaf mulch in the forest. I just had to make Addie see that too. What an idiot I was.

It was a few weeks after graduation that Addie came to visit. She was excited for me to meet her father, and through the dread I felt, and the mistrust of the pack, I smiled my smile for her and shared in her enthusiasm. This was the father of the girl I was going to spend the rest of my life with, and I had to make him see that I was good enough for her. Of course, my dad was outraged that there was any question I'd be good enough for any girl; _Charlie Swan_ loved me like his own son, I was reminded. Addie seemed confident that her dad would love me. I wished I could believe her.

"Jacob, can you stop pacing? It makes you look suspicious. He's going to love you, I can sense it."

"I'm sorry sweetie, I've never been through the whole meet-the-parents thing before, I guess I'm just agitated."

"Yeah well, he'll be here any minute," she said, straightening my shirt collar for the umpteenth time. Then I sensed it. The moment Geoffrey Pendleton crossed on to La Push lands, the dread I'd been feeling multiplied and almost knocked the wind from me. I had just managed to compose myself when his sleek black limo pulled into view. Addie's face lit up into a megawatt smile and I steeled myself for what was to come.

"Daddy!" she yelled, running off my front porch and down to the door of the car. A short, broad man with salt-and-pepper hair and a flawless goatee stepped from the car and hugged his daughter warmly. Addie practically dragged him to reach me and I shook his hand firmly – not wanting to show any sign of weakness.

"Mr Pendleton, sir, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Addie has told me so much about her father and it's clear she loves you very much," I said.

"I could say the exact same thing about you, Jacob. Please, call me Geoff," he greeted cordially. He had this mischievous twinkle in his eye that I observed was kind of endearing, but the way he appraised me made me feel like he knew a lot more about me than I did about him. We accepted his invitation to dinner that evening, and I played the wonderful boyfriend part dutifully. I would not mess this up for Addie and me. We parted company that night with plans to meet the next day, and Geoff made it know his excitement for meeting my father. I didn't want to make a liar of myself by telling him Billy felt the same, so I just smiled warmly.

A few days later, the meeting between Geoff and Billy was a tense affair. I found myself getting angry at my dad that he seemed to be purposefully trying to mess this up for me, and I told him so once Addie and her father had left for the night. He argued that he didn't trust the man and if I'd been listening to my gut, I'd feel the same way. Of course he was right, but I was still so adamant that this was going to work out okay that I denied everything. When had I stopped taking my father's advice?

On the fourth day of Geoff's visit, everything went to shit. Geoff wanted a tour of the reservation, and I gratefully obliged. Maybe if he realised its charm, he could help me convince Addie to live here with me. He was complimentary of the scenery and spent a lot of time in quiet contemplation while I rambled on about the historical sites we were passing and their traditional value even today. At the end of my impromptu tour, Geoff asked if he could speak to Billy and I alone, without Addie's presence. I was instantly agitated, but once again, ignored my instincts and led him to my house where Billy had set up his wood carving tools on the kitchen table. The stark contrast between both of our dads hit me then. How was I ever going to bring both of these families together when he had such vast differences?

"Mr Black, Jacob has just been giving me a tour of your reservation. I must say, I'm blown away by the beauty of the landscape here. It's a dream location," he said. Billy just grunted in reply, prompting him to cut to the chase. "I have to confess, that my visit to the reservation this week was not just about getting to know you and your son. There is another matter I wish to discuss with you that I can't dance around anymore." Billy set down his tools loudly and fixed a steely glare on Geoffrey.

"I figured as much. Alright, Mr. Pendleton, spit it out. Maybe we can finally end this ridiculous production where you pretend you have any intentions of letting your daughter move here, " my dad snapped. The tight ball of tension in my stomach lurched, and I braced myself for Geoff's response. To my surprise, he just smiled knowingly and nodded.

"I can see you're a very perceptive man, Mr. Black. Alright, I'll get straight to it. I've come to make you a proposal."

"What kind of proposal?" my dad asked, his gaze darted to me for indication, and I saw the flicker of panic in his eye. I shrugged innocently – I had no idea Geoff had been planning this.

"Your reservation sits on acres of prime real estate, did you realise this?" he asked. My skin broke out in goosebumps at that. I knew Addie's dad was this huge property developer; _he couldn't really be trying to buy the reservation, could he?_ "In fact, with what I've just seen, it could be a dream getaway spot for residents of Seattle and other larger towns in the area. Many hard-working city people would welcome having somewhere with such unspoilt nature and peaceful surroundings." A loud guffaw made its way out of my father's throat and he looked to me.

"Can you believe this man, Jake? He wants to shove us out of our homes so he can build holiday cottages!" he said, still laughing at the ridiculousness of the proposal.

"I assure you, Mr. Black, that you and your tribe would be adequately reimbursed for their homes and property. They would be able to buy newer, modern houses any where they want. With my knowledge and influence, I could even set up a scheme to relocate them anywhere they wish, and they could live out their remaining lives in luxury. "

I stood dumbfounded. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He seriously thought he could convince us to move the tribe out of the reservation? Scatter them around the state, around the country - all for money? I was disgusted that he thought we could be bought.

"I think we've heard enough, Geoff," I spat angrily. "I can tell you now that you're fighting a losing battle. The people on this reservation were born here, they raised their families here, and it is their prerogative to die here if they wish. You think we'd give up the land our ancestors fought to retain, all because you waved some cash in our faces? It baffles me that you could have spent years married to Addie's mother, a native woman and yet you really don't know anything about our people at all."

"I assure you, Jacob, this is no measly sum of money. There are millions of dollars to be made here, billions even, with the right project management. Don't dismiss my proposal until you know what you're turning down. In my experience, everyone has their price." He was so smug I wanted to punch his face.

"Yeah, well, we don't," I said, moving to stand up from the table. I was_ so_ done with this conversation, with Mr Pendleton and with people thinking they could take advantage of our tribe. I wanted to find Addie and tell her that her father had managed to insult me and my dad, and that I had no desire to continue a relationship with him. Plenty of people saw their in-laws at holidays, weddings and funerals. I could do that too. This man would never be considered family to me.

The next words out of his mouth made my blood run cold.

"Not even if it meant protecting your secret?" he asked slyly, and pulled a phone similar to Addie's from his breast pocket. I didn't need to look at the video playing on the small screen to know what it was. My heart cracked in my chest. She'd told him? The one thing I trusted Addie with, she'd gone blabbing to her father who was now using it as blackmail material for his own sick means. My father had gone pale in his seat and when he looked at me, the betrayal in his eyes made me want to claw my own eyes out. I never wanted my dad to look at me that way. I had let him down, I had let my brothers and my tribe down, and I had let myself down. Our tribe's biggest secret, and Mr. Pendleton held it in his hands.

"You know, when my daughter first called me to say that she'd found something on you that would make you bend to my will, I figured some sort of cover up... embezzlement, murder maybe...but never this," he said, gesturing to the phone with that same mischievous glint in his eye. "Giant wolves, I mean, if Addie had told me before I saw this video, I would probably have had her committed! What freakshows you all are!" he sang. How I hated him right then. He had us by the balls and he knew it.

"You won't get away with this!" my father wheezed. The pressure of the situation seemed to be bearing down on him with an insurmountable weight. I stood in shock, panic filling every cell of my being.

_How can I fix this? This is my fault! My fault for imprinting on her, for trusting her, for giving our secret away. How could I have been so stupid?_

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice Addie's scent until she was standing in the kitchen doorway. I looked at her through the tears in my eyes and managed to make out that she at least looked guilty. It didn't matter. I saw red.

"You did this?" I snarled. I was vibrating with anger and I noticed everyone in the room blanch from the sound of my voice. "You evil, conniving bitch! I share the one secret with you I can't tell anyone but my pack and this is how you use it? You make me sick!"

"J, you have to believe me, I was doing this for you! You're so much better than this place. You said it yourself that if the tribe scattered around the country, or if there was no reservation to protect, you could go where you wanted! You could go to college, work for my father, we could live comfortably and you would never have to phase again!"

My wolf howled in betrayal. Our imprint, the one person who was meant to love us unconditionally, who was meant to help us deal with the burdens we had to bear, wanted to euthanize him. She was threatening the very life I led – my pack, my tribe, my home- and she was even trying to justify it.

My one purpose in this world was to protect my tribe from outside threats. As I fell to my knees the realisation came to me then that this woman, this disgusting, manipulative, spoiled brat was the biggest threat we'd ever faced. In that moment, everything changed.

The paltry cords connecting me to Addie Pendleton snapped. I felt the force of the blow knock the air from my lungs and my head felt dizzy from the shift in my universe. One look at Addie and I knew she had felt it too. The imprint was broken.

_**I was free.**_

I growled ferally and rose to my feet. There was nothing keeping me from ripping these people to shreds and casting them from my life for good. An anger I'd never felt before overtook me, and I registered that it was only my father's presence in the room was keeping me from giving in to the wolf's desires and phasing on the spot.

Just then, Quil, Embry and Paul burst into the house. They took one look at me and gathered behind me, half restraining me and half showing me their support. They were my brothers, they would stand behind me until the day I died. They would protect what we loved until their last breath and I knew then that it was only these men that I could trust. I turned the force of my anger on a shocked Geoffrey, and stalked towards him, pulling him out of the chair by his expensive shirt collar. I glared into his fear-filled eyes and smirked darkly.

"You scared yet, Geoff? Well you should be," I spat. He just stared at me dumbly in terror. "You see, let me tell you a little something about wolves. We protect what we love. We use our talents and our instincts to track down our prey, and we don't stop until we've done what we need to do to achieve that," I said. I buried my nose in his neck and sniffed a long, slow trail up over his face to the top of his head. "And once we have your scent, there's _no _escaping what's coming for you."

Geoff gulped and looked around to his daughter wildly in panic. She stepped closer to us and held out her hands pleadingly.

"Please, J, just think about this, we didn't mean you any harm, I just wanted you to get what you deserve..." she began. I whirled on her and dropped her father in a heap on the floor.

"Stop fucking calling me J!" I yelled. "That is not my fucking name and you would do well to remember the name of the person who will one day_ end _you if you ever expose our secret to the outside world!" I snarled. "Believe me, _Addison_, the one thing stopping me from killing you both right now is that I don't want to put my father through the fucking murder trial!"

She winced back in fear. Yeah, she should be fucking scared. Geoff had gotten back to his feet and had thrown protective arm around his daughter.

"What I'm going to say to you now is a one time deal," I said with a mask of calm I was far from feeling. "Leave this place. Don't even look in the rear view mirror as you go back to the scum hole you crawled out from. If I ever, _ever_ get so much as an inkling that you tried to expose us, then I will hunt you down. I will find you, and I will claw out your insides myself. The imprint is broken, Addie. There's nothing to protect you from me now."

The Pendletons took one look at each other and made a bolt for the doorway. Nobody moved until we heard the screech of tyres peeling out of the street and they were gone from our lives. I picked up the discarded phone from the table and crushed it in my hand. I could tell the guys wanted to speak, but I just couldn't hear it right now. The wolf was clawing to get out, and I was finally going to give in. I had to run. I had to get away from all of the hurt, the anger and the betrayal. I made a run for the door and phased before I even hit the end of the porch.

And I ran.

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><p>That was three days ago. No-one has made an effort to phase in to talk to me, and I've been taking constant patrols myself. The guys knew I needed time to come to terms with this and to help alleviate some of the guilt I was feeling over what could have happened by protecting the reservation single-handedly.<p>

So here I sit, naked on the cliff edge, legs hanging over the side, just watching what's mine to protect. I'm free now. Free from that bitch who thought she was doing me a favour by taking me away from here. Never again will I let a girl control me like that. The love I thought I had for her is gone, left to an embarrassing memory I hope one day we could laugh about. If Addie knows what's good for her, I'll never hear from her again. I can live my life how I want to and I could choose who I want to love without any stupid obligations other than the ones I feel of my own accord.

Which leaves me with the one thought my mind kept returning to. The one sliver of hope in one of the worst weeks of my life.

Bella's coming home. And I'm going to get her back.

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><p><strong>AN: Whoa, such fireworks. Are we happy the bitch is gone? She's a sneaky one. I can't believe they thought that would work!**

**Do you think that's the last we'll hear of the Pendletons? I certainly hope so. Jake doesn't need to lay eyes on them ever again.**

**I hope you like this chapter, it feels oddly satisfying to get it written.**

**Thoughts? Opinions? Flames?**


	21. Alex, The Traitor

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-One: Alex, The Traitor<strong>

**Bella POV**

It felt like just a few days since Alex and I had been in Forks last. The only thing that reminded me how long it had been was how often Alex kept saying it. By the time Charlie was pulling into the town, I felt like renting her and Embry a motel room and locking them in there, just so I wouldn't have to listen to her babbling anymore. I tried not to think that maybe I was just bitter that her love-life was going so well when mine was a pile of smouldering ashes.

I had ended up keeping my promise to Josh to stay friends. We weren't exactly friends, per se, more like acquaintances who kept in touch, but I could tell that it made him feel better that I didn't hate his guts. I knew better than anyone how persuasive Edward Cullen could be. I was worried that The Pack would have heard that I'd been in contact with Edward again, but when I asked her about it, Alex assured me that Embry was way more interested in my drunken shenanigans. I just wanted to block that whole day out of my life – although the second half of it was mainly fuzzy anyway due to tequila and my erstwhile best friends Francine and Carolyn. Those ladies had a whole life of man-hating compared to my few years, but they were sympathetic to my wailing and insisted that I had to go home as soon as I sobered up and break up Jake's wedding. I can't begin to say how thankful I am that it never would have had to come to that. Now I just had to live with Alex's smug teasing, but I was sure it wouldn't be long before she made a fool of herself and I got to exact my vengeance.

She was practically vibrating in her seat when we turned on to my street. I hadn't yet mentioned that I only planned on going to La Push once during my visit – for the wedding. Maybe Embry could come and take her out? I had a feeling I couldn't keep them apart even if I'd wanted to, and I really didn't. I was happy to see my best friend find happiness with someone as amazing as Embry, and she didn't even know how amazing he really was yet.

"Looks like you've got company," Charlie drawled as we approached the house. I couldn't help the groan that escaped me from my place in the passenger seat with my forehead pressed against the window. I didn't even turn to see who he was referring to, I could tell from the excited squeak Alex let out from the back seat and I winced. I hadn't slept on the plane because she hadn't shut up since waking up this morning, and I was banking on just taking a nap in my old bed as soon as we arrived. It wasn't my fault I was cranky, it was hers. Couldn't Embry give us an hour before coming sniffing around her?

Charlie pulled to a halt and nudged me, thinking I was dozing off again.

"Come on, Bells, don't you want to say 'hi 'to your friends?"

_Friends? Plural?_

I turned towards the house and was greeted with the sight of a beaming Embry, who was about three seconds away from jumping up and down with excitement, but that wasn't what made me gasp in shock. Beside Embry, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, one leg slung casually over the other and an ecstatic grin on his face, was Jacob.

And he was smiling at _me_.

_Okay, is it two years ago?_

Alex was out of the car and in Embry's arms so fast that she could have made Alice Cullen's head spin. I guess love gives everyone special abilities. She was raining light pecks all over his face before they melted into a kiss I was pretty sure shouldn't have been witnessed by anyone, making Charlie's ears turn pink as he passed them carrying Alex's suitcase.

"I'll just leave you kids to your 'hello's then..." he muttered as he disappeared inside. I gave Jake a suspicious look as I grabbed my suitcase out of the trunk. Why was he smiling at me? Why was he looking at me like I was the best thing he'd ever laid eyes on? Like he_ used_ to? And where was _Addie_?

As I neared the three of them, Jake shocked me by walking over to Alex and holding out his hand.

"Hey, Alex, I'd like to re-introduce myself. I'm Jake, and I was Bella's best friend before you snaked me and stole her," he joked, giving her his heartbreaking, _Jacob _smile as he shook her hand gently. Alex just stared at him in shock, I think the smile was disarming her for a second from any witty comebacks she would usually have formulated.

"Um, hey Jake, it's nice to meet you properly," she said, before looking over at me and raising an eyebrow. She looked back at him and appraised him unabashedly. "I guess our first meeting was a little tense, you had something stuck to your face for most of it," she said sweetly. Jake let out a loud, hearty laugh and smiled at her again.

"I can see why Bells and Embry like you so much, you're beautiful _and_ sharp," he said, his voice still cracking with mirth.

"It's all part of my charm, sweetie," she said taking a small bow as she presented herself.

"I really am sorry about that," he said sincerely. "You're a big part of two of my favourite people's lives and I should have made more of an effort not to be rude to you." Alex just shrugged it off, as if they'd been best friends for years and all was forgiven. _Damn, there goes my ally._

I studied him carefully. He didn't look drunk and he didn't seem to be messing around. He was genuinely trying to make a good impression on her. I couldn't help but let my mind wander back to the last time I'd spoken to him, when I'd stormed off from our encounter on Emily's porch. I sighed and began dragging my suitcase up the steps, deciding that whatever he was selling, I wasn't buying it. This was far too confusing for me to let myself get caught up in, especially after the whole Josh fiasco. Guys and me didn't mix, I knew that now. Jake raced down the porch steps to my aid, trying to pry the suitcase from my hands.

"I got it, Jacob," I said evenly. I was still far too grumpy to even hide it from my voice.

"Let me just get it inside for you, the thing looks like it weighs a tonne!" he smirked, but I wasn't going to let him just ease back into my life like he hadn't been playing mind games the last time we spoke.

"I said I got it!" I snapped. Jake visibly recoiled from the anger in my voice and the hurt expression in his eyes almost cracked my resolve. I began dragging the suitcase up the steps determinedly, flashing Embry a look warning him not to even try to help. It was a few seconds before I heard Jake's footfalls following me inside.

"Bells? Do um... would it be okay if we talked, maybe... if you wanted to, I mean? It's okay if you don't, I could just leave," he stammered at the doorway. He sounded so unsure of himself it made my heart hurt, and I couldn't help turning around to face him. I renewed my resolve before speaking.

"I don't think talking does us any good, Jacob. Anyway, you've got Addie for that now. Go talk to her," I spat. I knew I sounded jealous and childish, but I was so mad at him for putting me in the position of 'other woman', like a cheap slut he met in a club.

"But it's really important, Bells, I swear I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't," he pleaded. I just sighed out of sheer exhaustion. I didn't want my lack of sleep to let him break down the walls I was building up around myself and Jake always knew just what to say to make me forgive him. I owed it to myself to keep my distance. He'd probably just change his mind tomorrow anyway, and I'd let myself get my hopes up all for nothing. I turned my attention back to Alex where she and Embry were watching the whole exchange in fascination.

"Alex, I'm beat and I'm going to take a nap. Do you want to come in and unpack or are you going to hang out with Em for a bit?" Embry squeezed her hand and smiled at her hopefully. I knew that smile would persuade her to do anything.

"I think I'll hang out for a while, if you don't mind," she said, eyeing me warily. She knew I was upset, and didn't want to leave, but I couldn't let her pass up on precious Embry time. I smiled reassuringly.

"That's cool; call me if you need a ride home or anything okay?" I asked and she nodded, giving me a relieved smile. I turned to go into the house when Jacob spoke again.

"Bella, I know you're mad at me but I really think we need to-"

"See you round, Jacob. Bye Em," I said, cutting him off before he could get the sentence out and slamming the door behind me. I ignored Charlie's disapproving look as I trudged up the stairs and faceplanted on my bed.

It was the next morning before Alex made a reappearance. She had that post-coital glow on her cheeks and she seemed to be bursting at the seams with happiness. Of course, Jake's charms had won her over, and she couldn't stop singing his praises to me for most of the day as we ran errands in preparation for the wedding. I was getting pretty frustrated with her and her switching sides. She was supposed to be on_ my_ team, and dammit if I wanted to give Jake the cold shoulder she should be right there with me.

"I really think you should give him a chance to explain, Bells," she said. _Oh, hell, now _she_'s calling me Bells?_

"If and when I decide to do that, it will be just that: my decision. How is it that you're so eager for him to get his way?"

"It's just that Embry told me what happened," she began, and I looked at her suspiciously. What did she mean something happened? "He made me promise to let Jake tell you himself, but all I'm saying it I really think you should listen to what he has to say, you'll regret it if you don't," she said cryptically. I sighed, tired of the conversation already.

"Look, Alex, Jake and I seem to do nothing but hurt each other, all the time. I'll talk to him eventually; I'm just not ready yet." She nodded sadly, conceding defeat. She knew I couldn't be forced into something if I really didn't want to be.

Somehow, Jake didn't seem to get the message to leave me be. Each morning when I woke up, there was freshly cut wild flowers on my front porch with a note in Jacob's signature chicken-scratch.

**Note 1:**

_Bells, _

_I'm sorry I was an asshole. I'll keep trying every day until you talk to me. I can't lose you again. There's so much I have to say if you'll just listen. I'll be waiting for your call._

_Love,_

_-Jake_

**Note 2:**

_Bells,_

_I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and I don't deserve an easy forgiveness, but I just want you to remember how easy us being together was. Easy as breathing._

_Love,_

_-Jake_

**Note 3:**

_Bells,_

_I know you kept the other flowers. I can see them in the vase in the window. That tells me you're at least considering forgiving me. That's all the hope I need. Please talk to me?_

_Until you're ready to let me be your friend again, I'm prepared to be annoyingly persistent._

_All my love, _

_-Jake_

Alex cooed with romantic excitement at each bouquet I received. _Traitor._

This was definitely a new approach for him. I wasn't used to being wooed by Jacob; he really did seem to be sorry. What piqued my curiosity, though, was how he signed off the third note.

_All my love._

What did that mean? Was it just an expression or was he actually being literal with me? How could I have 'all his love' if he was imprinted to Ms. Centerfold? I decided not to dwell on it too much. I was here for Charlie and Sue, not to sort out the mess that was my love life.

On the fourth day, his tactics changed. I was briefly disappointed when I ventured out to get the morning paper and there were no flowers on the porch. Had he given up? I realised then that more than I wanted Jake to leave me alone, him giving up hurt so much more than his constant apologies could. Then I saw her.

My old had truck appeared in the driveway overnight, fully serviced and he'd even detailed the interior to a standard I'm sure would have cost hundreds of dollars had I been paying for it. I was surprised to see the old girl again, since I'd told Charlie to leave it at Jake's garage before I left for college. I had thought maybe he could strip it down for parts and make a little money off of it. It just held too many memories for me.

I felt tears stinging my eyes as I took in the sight of her. She was beautiful. I was instantly transported back to the days when I was _Jake's Bells_ and we'd spend hours making out in this thing, rain pelting down the windows and giggling as we reshuffled positions to accommodate Jake's massive size. I opened the door, and my heart leapt in my chest. Despite the cleaning job, she still smelled the same. I found myself climbing in, wanting to be closer to her and the memories she held when my foot nudged against something beside the brake pedal. Reaching down, I realised it was a shoe box. It was definitely one of Jake's; I didn't know anyone else with such huge feet.

Opening it, there was a hand-written note laid over tissue paper. It felt a little heavy, so I read the note quickly, curious to get to the contents.

_Bells,_

_This box holds the reasons I fell in love with you. I think, if you look through them, and they make you feel anything at all, you'll agree that you and I deserve a chance._

_Until your heart stops beating,_

_Jake_

The tears were coming full force as I peeled back the tissue paper. The first thing I noticed was a generic brand can of soda. I picked it up – it was warm, just like they always were. I smiled before I set it on the seat beside me and investigated further. The next thing I found was a small, glass jar, containing what looked to be sand from First Beach. It was nestled beside a little piece of wood that I knew instinctively was taken from our driftwood log. I played with them in my hands, letting the memories wash over me.

Lazy afternoons with the pack.

Languid kisses in the sand.

Watching the sunset on a blanket, me huddled close, stealing his warmth.

My tears rained down over my hands as I looked at them. My chest was heaving for all I thought I'd lost forever.

Next in my treasure chest was a small, toy motorcycle. It was an exact replica of the ones we'd rebuilt all those wasted afternoons in his garage. If it wasn't for those bikes, I would probably never have been healed, and I wouldn't have slowly fallen in love with the man who cradled my broken heart in his strong, skilled hands and painstakingly pieced it back together.

The last two item in the box finally brought a smile to my face. The first was a photograph I'd never seen before. I realised it was taken the night of the fateful bonfire that had broken us up. Jake and I were sharing a 'movie kiss' as he called them. He had lifted me up to his height, cradling my butt in one of his strong arms and captured my lips to his. I could tell he was smiling through the kiss and I could detect a faint blush on my cheeks at the spectacle he was making. On either side of us, Quil was air-humping Jake's back as Embry made a gagging face, popping out behind me. Emily and Kim were slightly in the distance, Jared's arm slung protectively around Kim's shoulder and both girls looked to be cheering. Even Leah had a small smile on her lips from her place on a sun lounger in the background. The photo captured exactly how our relationship had been. Easy, fun, carefree, full of love and warm with camaraderie.

Underneath the photo was something I thought I'd lost a long time ago. I'd left it in my room after I'd done my disappearing act, finding it too hard to look at where it had held pride of place on my wrist – Jacob's bracelet. When I'd gone to look for it during my last visit, hoping it might endear Jake into speaking to me kindly again, it was gone. The diamond heart had been taken off a long time ago, and the wolf held pride of place as the only charm on its links. I held it up to the light, marvelling for the hundredth time how he'd managed to stain the wood the exact colour of his fur. Behind the bracelet, my attention was drawn to movement through the windshield. Jake was exiting the tree line, hands in his pockets with an apprehensive look on his face. Our eyes locked, and the last of my resolve crumbled.

It was time to have that talk.

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><p><strong>AN: Did you really think she'd just let him get away with the booty call moment? My Bella demands much more respect than that!**

**Next chapter is the talk, and I wanted to take a little vote as to whose POV you guys want it in. Bella or Jakes?Let me know in the comments and I'll do up a tally when I've hit at least fifteen reviews. (I was going to do ten, but it may as well be an odd number in case it's 50/50) Then all the fun, fluff and lemons begin. Are you excited? I'm scared. I can do suspense, but can I do romance? How did I do in this chapter?**

**Opinions? Comments?**


	22. Save The Penguins

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**_A/N: It was actually 50/50 between both sites this story is published to, but most of you also said you wanted both, so you get what you asked for! Especially because I've hit 200 reviews. What the hell? I'm so humbled._**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Two: Save The Penguins<strong>

**Bella POV**

I didn't even remember getting out of the truck. Jake and I just stood in my driveway, taking deep breaths, eyes locked on each other. I knew I had to talk to him, to get some answers, but part of me was afraid I wouldn't like what I heard. What if he was still imprinted, but found some way to get around his feelings of loyalty?

There was complete silence between us, save for the rustle of wind through the trees and the odd bird call. Jake and I were alone; Charlie having gone to work hours ago and Alex still sleeping in my room. We just stared at each other for what seemed like a long moment. His eyes held such nervousness that I was taken aback. Was Jake really that worried I'd never speak to him again? Everything was so messed up between us lately that I realised he had no guarantee that I'd be willing to hear him out. I'd even been planning to make him wait a little longer, but after the work he'd put into changing my mind, I didn't want to fight it any more. I had to give him this chance. He was Jake, my sunshine. How could I ever truly live without him in my life?

I cleared my throat to speak. It was still scratchy from my crying session in the truck, and I realised that the tears were still coming.

"Thanks for the truck... and the box too. I...wow," I began, shaking my head, and his gaze darted momentarily behind me to the large vehicle before moving back to me again. He just nodded quickly and looked down. I couldn't put it off any more, I had to know how available he was before I got my hopes up.

"Imprint?" I said, not needing to elaborate. He knew what I meant. His head shot up and he looked at me earnestly.

"Broken."

I unconsciously took a step closer to him as my heart soared in my chest. His imprint was broken... he could be mine again. After what I'd seen since coming back here, I could tell he wanted to be. Could something actually be going right for us, just this once?

"Addie?" I asked, wanting to make sure I wasn't going to have to put up with her hanging around acting like everyone's best friend. I didn't miss the tightening of his jaw before he answered me.

"Gone. Far away." I breathed a sigh of relief after that. I would get the full story of this, but there was one last thing I wanted to know. I took another step forward and studied his eyes, wanting to gauge his sincerity when he answered me.

"And you? You're-"

"Yours. Forever, if you'll have me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper when he added, "Please have me?"

That was all I needed. I closed the distance between us and threw myself into his arms. He instantly lifted me up to his height and I wrapped my legs around his waist before our lips crashed together.

This wasn't like any other kiss I'd had. It was passionate, unyielding, making up for lost time. It was a kiss that said 'I missed you' and 'I'm sorry' and 'can we pretend none of this ever happened?'

Jacob let out a soft whimper as I deepened the kiss. His lips were just as I remembered them; warm, soft, pliable and an exact match for my own. His tongue moved towards mine, trying to reintroduce our bodies to each other after so damn long. I could feel the soft scratch of stubble on his chin, a new sensation adding to all the familiar ones – Jake had always been clean shaven when we were together. His hands were everywhere- my hair, my shoulders, dipping under the fabric of my pyjamas at my waist... wait a minute... I was making out with Jacob, in front of my house, in broad daylight, in my pyjamas! Where had all my common sense gone? It was his fault. The bastard had shown up shirtless – probably on purpose, looking at me like a puppy with a broken leg with all his sweet notes and grand gestures, and I'd just asked him three measly questions before jumping him. I had to stop this, we still hadn't talked.

I pulled abruptly from the kiss, leaning back to look at him. His eyes were still closed and his brow furrowed from the loss of contact and Jake moved back to continue it. I turned my head to the side, dodging his advances, which is pretty hard to do when he looked so good and smelled so _Jake_ and he was still holding me aloft so he could kiss me.

"I'm wearing pyjamas!" I blurted out before I could formulate something coherent. Jacob's eyes opened and he looked at me strangely, before letting out a loud chuckle that shook both of our bodies with the force of it.

"Yeah, I know, Bells. Penguins... nice," he winked, taking in my flannel PJs with a look of amusement, before closing his eyes and nipping at my neck softly. The sensation of it was sending warm, delicious tingles down my body, and I knew that if I didn't put a stop to this now, I was never going to get my explanation.

"That's not what I meant..."I wriggled in his embrace, trying to get him to put me down, but my position on his body meant that I was essentially just grinding on his crotch. Jake's breath caught in his throat and when he looked at me again, his eyes were dark with lust. I could feel something growing hard at the juncture of my thighs and decided that this needed to be taken control of. I just stared him down and spoke clearly. "Jacob, put me down. We still need to talk!"

He just pressed a soft kiss to my nose and studied my face. "How about you talk, and I do this-" he said, before resuming those amazing little nips on my jaw and neck.

"Jacob..." I said warningly. He was dangerously close to undoing his good work with this whole get-in-Bella's-pants strategy. My tone seemed to finally get his attention, though, and he stopped his ministrations and sighed, setting me back on my feet.

"I'm sorry, you're totally right.. it's just, you know my favourite Bella is Just-Out-of-Bed, sleepy Bella," he said, smiling sheepishly and I recalled how he'd always said that. "Then there's your scent," he said before burying his nose in my neck and inhaling deeply. "It's like, you've always smelled amazing, but God... now it's just..." he didn't even finish the sentence, just carried on breathing me in. I took a step back from him, hoping the distance would help me think of something other than pulling him into the cab of my truck and getting reacquainted. It did, but not much.

"Look Jake, we can't do this," I began, and he frowned slightly before a look of utter devastation coloured his features.

"Oh... shit, I didn't even think of... I'm so stupid," he rambled as he started pacing back and forth, and I was thoroughly confused as to what the hell had generated such a dramatic reaction. "You still have a boyfriend... I didn't even ask.. I'm so sorry, I just saw you and I wanted you so bad, I didn't even consider..." he continued.

_Huh?_

"What? No, Josh and I broke up... Jake would I have kissed you like that if I had a boyfriend?" I asked incredulously. Had Alex or Embry not passed on the news? I thought obliquely that maybe Embry hadn't shared it because he couldn't have explained the 'whys' without mentioning Edward, which Jake would not have liked. Jake smiled before looking at his feet.

"I guess that I just thought, maybe I make _you_ feel the same way you make _me_ feel... where everything else fades into a blur when we're kissing," he explained shyly. My heart leapt for the umpteenth time that morning.

"No! Jake believe me, I wouldn't be making out with you on my driveway covered in penguins if you didn't." I was rewarded with the biggest, blinding_ Jacob_ smile I'd ever seen. He stepped towards me again and took my hand before kissing it. "Look, maybe we should go inside to talk about this, have you had breakfast?" I asked as I started tugging him towards the house. Maybe if there was a kitchen table between us we could keep our damn hands to ourselves.

"Oh, man, I've missed your cooking so much, Bells," he gushed, and I was instantly reminded of his sixteen-year-old, pre-phase self and how he would get excited over the tiniest of things. I giggled as we crossed the threshold.

"Yeah, let's just hope there's enough food in this house to feed you," I teased. He glanced up the stairs towards my room and I knew he could hear Alex sleeping soundly. He looked at me hesitantly and chewed on his full bottom lip. I tried not to think that I'd been doing just that a minute ago.

"Will we have a chance to talk, you know... uninterrupted?" he asked, glancing up the stairs again.

"Don't worry, Alex never wakes up before noon unless she has to."

"She sure does snore a lot for such a tiny girl," he chuckled and I batted his arm in reprimand.

"Don't be mean, she just snores when she's been drinking is all. We indulged a little last night," I said, gesturing to the two empty wine bottles on the coffee table. His eyebrows raised a little as he looked at me.

"You don't seem too hungover."

"They don't affect me that much, I guess. Charlie says they will as I get older, I'm just taking advantage right now." Jake nodded.

"You're lucky, I thought the werewolf thing would be adequate protection against hangovers, but super fast healing is still no match for Res Moonshine," he informed ruefully as we entered the kitchen. I plugged in the waffle iron and got to work on making a batter as Jake took a seat at the table.

"Yeah, well I guess when you probably drank enough to take out three other guys your size, you kind of deserve a hangover," I quipped. Jake studied his hands where they were clasped on the table.

"Bells, about that night. The night of Emily and Sam's party?" he began, and I felt the smile drop from my face. I turned back towards the mixing bowl so I wouldn't have to look at him until the awkward moment was over. "I've got no excuses for being that way with you. You deserved more respect than that. And no matter how truthful I was being, I had no right to put you in such a horrible position," he said.

"Thanks for apologising; I guess I didn't understand what was going on with you and I had a lot to think about after I talked to Paul. You probably couldn't have picked a worse moment to let your inner sleaze come out," I joked. Jake smiled and apologised again.

"I wanted to say though, I saw in Paul's mind that he told you that my imprint was fucked up. You could probably have broken it yourself somehow, but you didn't," he said, and there was a slight note of awe in his voice. "I mean, I was even a little disappointed that you wouldn't try, but at the time I wanted to make things with Addie work more, and you saw that. You could easily have messed things up for your own selfish means but you didn't, because you didn't want to take my choices away. I think that, when I found out about that, I fell in love with you a little more, Bells."

I blushed at his sweet words and turned away again.

"I know better than anyone what it feels like to have decisions made for you. Plus, I could have ended up ruining something really special for you," I said. I heard the smallest growl coming from his chest and turned back in time to see Jake's expression darken and his jaw clench momentarily before he answered.

"Yeah, well from what we know now, it wasn't anything remotely special," he spat, and I knew his anger wasn't directed at me this time. I set the timer on the waffle iron and turned down the heat on the skillet where the bacon was just starting to cook. I took a seat opposite Jake and prepared myself for his story.

"Jake, what happened with Addie? Aren't imprints meant to be unbreakable? I mean, that's why I was so devastated when I found out you'd imprinted on her," I confessed.

"You were devastated? Over me?" he asked, and I could tell he was a little shocked I'd said it.

"Of course I was. I always held out a little hope that you'd come to me and tell me you'd found out for sure you'd never imprint, or that you'd found a way of blocking it. It's stupid, I know, but I just love you so much I couldn't let go easily," I volunteered. Jake's smiled at me sadly and he reached across the table, taking my hand.

"It's not stupid. I looked through the tribal histories after you left, trying to find a way to get out of imprinting altogether. Needless to say, I didn't find anything. But don't ever feel stupid for being in love. If that was the case, I'm an idiot," he smirked. His face went serious again and I knew he was going to get back to answering my question. He took a deep breath and began.

"Addie wasn't who I thought she was..."

**JACOB POV**

I came clean to Bella about everything. She couldn't even hide the disgust on her face when I got to the part about Geoffrey's threat. It just cemented to me that Bella would never even consider holding my secret over my head like that.

"I can't believe she'd abuse your trust that way. She always struck me as a self-entitled bitch!" she spat, not bothering to apologise for insulting Addie. I smiled as I realised that Bells had been harbouring a lot of hatred towards my former imprint, but had been too damn sweet to say anything against her while we were together.

I'd been so nervous when Charlie told me the day before Bella arrived that she'd finally be back in Forks. I didn't sleep the night before, taking instead to patrolling with Embry. He wanted to bank some time off while Alex was here so he could spend as much time with her as he could. It was during patrol that we'd decided to just go to the Swan's house and wait for the girls to get there. I'd wanted to apologise to Alex for a long time, and since she and Embry seemed to be getting along so well, I knew I needed to smooth over relations with her. I'd seen from his head that she was a great person, which made it all the more important to be her friend. If she was going to be around Bells and Em a lot more, I thought we should at least be friendly acquaintances.

I couldn't help the smile on my face when I saw Bella in Charlie's passenger seat. She looked tired, and grumpy, but I felt like I'd never seen a more beautiful thing in my life. And now I was free to make her mine. I could barely restrain myself from running up to her and gathering her in my arms. Her sexy-as-fuck hair cut had grown out some, and it was just brushing her shoulders now. She was wearing a little make-up on her eyes and whatever the colour was, it made them pop and I just wanted to fall into them if she'd let me. She had gained a little weight in all the right places, and for the first time I noticed a confidence to her walk she hadn't had before. Of course, that could have had something to do with the fact she was really fucking mad at me.

It had hurt when she was so cold towards me, but I realised that I deserved it. Talking to Alex when she hung out with Embry, Quil, Leah and me that night, I knew I had to spend extra effort making amends for the way I'd treated Bella the last time she was here. I even asked Alex for some hints – I couldn't be sure that Bells hadn't changed a lot since we were together – but she gave me nothing. She just said "If you're as amazing as Bella always described you as, you'll come up with something." That was the moment I knew that if I was going to get Bella back, I was going to have to show her that I was still _her_ Jake, and remind her of why we'd fit so well together in the first place.

The flowers were a warm-up exercise, testing out how she reacted to receiving gifts from me. I knew her well enough to know that any more than wild flowers would make her uncomfortable, and that it'd take a lot more than that to change her mind. I spent two days gathering up the stuff to put in the 'Bella Box' as Quil dubbed it. The guys even helped me figure out what we could use that would fit in the limited space I had to work with. Her truck was a no-brainer. I'd spent three weeks after I broke up with Addie working on it, just so I could put my frustrations into something worthwhile, and so that Bella could see I'd been thinking of her while she wasn't here. I'd never had the heart to sell it. It just held too many memories for me.

Then morning I drove Bella's truck to the house, Charlie was just pulling out of the driveway. He gave me a knowing look as he rolled down the window.

"Smooth moves, Jake," he teased, "She's still asleep right now, but it shouldn't be long. Truck looks good, she's gonna love it. See you later son." I hoped Charlie was right. I wanted for this to go well so badly that I hadn't considered what else I could do if it didn't work. I parked the truck in Charlie's old spot and put the box on the driver's seat. As I moved to walk away, I thought better of it – maybe she'd see it but still be too angry to bother to look inside? I skipped back and placed the box on the floor, hoping that if she was sitting in the old girl she might be amenable enough to see what I'd left for her. I went to leave it again when I worried that maybe she wouldn't notice it and end up crashing the truck if it got lodged beneath the brake pedal. I moved the box again.

After three more moves I eventually gave up. Bella wasn't stupid; she'd feel the box with her feet before driving anywhere. I was suddenly out of choices when I heard Bella's footfalls coming down the stairs – she was awake. I darted away from the truck as if it was about to explode, and dove for the cover of the trees. I heard Bella make a pot of coffee and set out a cup before she moved towards the front door – the paper, of course. She started the day with coffee and reading the paper since she'd finished school. I'd teased her that she was just trying too hard to be a grown up, but she retorted that it was just something she liked to do, and if I ever grew up I'd understand.

I heard the soft gasp of air as she saw the truck and was relieved when she moved towards it instead of just snorting and heading back inside. I berated myself when I realised that was something Addie would have done, not Bells.

I stood inside the tree-line, more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. My heart was pounding and I briefly considered phasing and taking a short run to work off some of the energy, but then I caught sight of her, and I didn't want to be anywhere else in the world. She was wearing pink pyjamas with penguins all over them. One of her cheeks was flushed from where she'd been lying on the pillow, her hair had gone wavy in her sleep and she was wearing those socks with the rubber grips on the bottom. She looked adorable and delicious all at once. I wanted her so badly, but everything hinged on this moment, right now. Bella needed to see what was in that box. She needed to give me a chance and I needed more than anything to be able to tell her what happened.

I was relieved when she sat in the truck straight away and noticed the box. She read my note quickly and started looking through its contents. I was fascinated to watch the myriad of emotions play on her face as she looked at each item. She veered from surprise to sadness, contentment to all-out mirth. When I heard the jangle of her bracelet, I knew she'd gotten to the bottom. It was now or never. I hesitantly made my way out of the forest and walked towards the truck. I couldn't even bring myself to look at her until I was close enough to catch her scent floating out the open door. It was breathtaking. Bells always smelled good to me, and I'd obliquely noticed the slight change in her scent the other day, but holy crap – it was like something had been awoken in her and she was just pure, tangy sweetness – like freshly picked strawberries. It was mixed with her clothes and all the more potent since she'd been sleeping for so long in them. I wanted to bathe in it.

My eyes locked on hers and I knew in that instant that she was going to give me a chance. She made her way out of the truck and stood in front of me. Sometimes I forgot how tiny she was. No wonder all I wanted to do was protect and shelter her. She could be hurt in so many ways, but she was still stubborn as a mule and wouldn't take my crap, and that's why I loved her. She was a contrast of sweet and timid to independent and strong. She was sexy as hell and she just had to be mine.

I couldn't even form full sentences now, and I was relieved to note that she couldn't either. All she seemed to want to know was if I was really free of the imprint and if I would be hers. I begged her to want me, not caring how much of a pussy I sounded. Bells and I were so far past not saying what we meant now.

And then we were kissing, and I was flying, and my wolf – he was howling in sheer bliss. Bella wanted us. She was willing to give us another chance. We could be hers and she could be ours. Then she was pulling away, and we felt so confused. Couldn't we go back to the kissing? The kissing was awesome, and we wanted more of that. My mouth didn't know what to do any more, now that it wasn't in contact with some part of Bella's face and neck. And oh, my God, her scent. It was doing things to me I hadn't had trouble controlling since I was sixteen. Bella was writhing on me and I was so painfully hard I was in danger of laying her out on the truck bed and massacring those poor penguins. Deep breaths weren't helping since it was her scent that was doing this to me, so I was thankful when she started talking some sense. Inside, with some space between us and the smell of food masking her was definitely safer. I was able to listen to what she had to say and answer her questions without thinking how I could just take her right there on the kitchen table. Okay, yeah, I was still thinking that, but what Bells was talking about was way more important.

We were just finishing breakfast when I realised I had some questions of my own.

"Bells, why did you break up with that Josh guy?" I asked tentatively. I knew from experience that Bella didn't do break-ups well, and the last thing I wanted to do was upset her. She'd just started talking to me again.

"Josh wasn't who I thought he was either," she said simply, and there was no trace of sadness in her voice. I frowned at that – it wasn't like Bella to be so blasé about love and relationships – but hell, I should just be happy that she's over him and I get to reap the benefits. But no, of course I couldn't leave it alone.

"Did he do something to upset you?" I asked, already plotting how long it would take me to find him and beat the crap out of him if he hurt Bella.

"Kind of. Look, Jake, I'm not sure I should be talking to you about this," she said nervously. Well that was weird, what did she have to be nervous about?

"Bells, you're acting kinda strange... what aren't you telling me?" I prodded. She huffed a sigh and looked in my eyes, studying them for a moment.

"You have to promise me you're not going to over-react," she said. Oh shit, this was not going to be something I'd like. I took a sip of my orange juice and nodded. I could hold it together for Bells.

"When I was dating Josh, I kind of got the feeling he was hiding things from me, that he was mixed up in something bad," she began. Fuck! Had that smug prick put her in danger? "He kept getting these weird phone calls and was constantly texting someone. I overheard one of the calls and it sounded like there was a lot of money changing hands. More than that, he knew everything about me, my likes and dislikes, my interests, what I liked to do before I'd ever mentioned it. I assumed that Alex had been tipping him off, you know, so he could get on my good side or whatever. But then something happened and I found out who had been feeding him information." My hackles were already rising at this point. This guy had been some sort of weird stalker and had – of course - set his sights on Bella. He was probably in the mob or something. Fuck! I'd been too wrapped up in that bitch Addie to be there to protect her. I felt like the lowest asshole ever.

"Bells, I know you and I weren't on good terms when all this was going on, but I wish you'd told me or even Embry you were suspicious of this guy. I mean, he could be mixed up with any kind of evil bastards just trying to hurt pretty girls for their own sick thrills." Bella nodded and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Jake, it's okay, once I figured it out, I wasn't scared, I was just really, really pissed," she said, chuckling softly at my confused expression."Josh was working for Edward," she said. Stood up out of my chair with such force it fell back on to the kitchen tiles.

"That sick fuck! I'll kill him! He was paying someone to stalk you? What kind of screwed up games was he trying to play?" I shouted before she gave me a withering look, I could tell I wasn't going to get the end of the story unless I calmed the hell down. I sat back in the upright chair and downed the rest of the orange juice. I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, continue." Bella smiled at my act of politeness.

"I'm not defending Edward by any means, but he was trying to protect me..." she began, and then proceeded to tell me the entire incident with the Volturi. I decided I couldn't exactly slaughter Edward after all, but I could probably give Josh a few broken bones for sleeping with Bells under false pretences. I could tell she wasn't sure if I knew about it by the way she had avoided mentioning it, but hey, this was the first day of the rest of our lives and there was plenty of time to talk about that later. I wasn't mad at Bella, just him. That dick had taken the one thing I'd wanted Bella and I to share and now it was gone forever. I had to keep reminding myself that she was here now, and I just had to be content with the fact that, although I wouldn't be her first, she would be mine. And I was certainly going to be her last.

I'm not sure how it happened but somehow Bells and I graduated from doing the dishes to full blown making out against the kitchen counter. She was still wearing pyjamas and I could feel through the material that she didn't have any underwear on. That fact alone was enough to have my wolf roaring at me to take her right then and there. I was beginning an exploration of the soft skin behind Bella's left ear with my tongue, and my thumb was wandering across the waistband of her pants when I heard Alex stirring upstairs. I didn't care if she found us, but I knew Bells would be mortified if this went further. I reluctantly pulled away.

"Bells," I panted, almost forgetting what the hell I was going to say when she started nibbling on my ear. Then I heard Alex's feet hit the floor, and I knew she was out of bed. "Alex...awake." That did it. Bell pushed me away from her and resumed washing the dishes with renewed vigour. I just chuckled and placed a kiss to the top of her head as I cuddled her from behind. As we heard Alex disappear into the bathroom, Bella turned back to me and gave me a contemplative look before speaking.

"Jake, what we were about to do... I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Can we, you know... take it a little slower? It's only been a few hours," she said, and my heart sank a little. I plastered on a smile and nodded. I wasn't being selfish about this. What Bella needs, Bella gets.

Besides, just because we weren't doing the deed yet, didn't rule out foreplay, did it?

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><p><strong>AN: This was my longest chapter yet, I think my eyes are actually trying to give up on me! **

**I toyed with the idea of it being Alex's POV spying on them, but there's too much she doesn't know and she was too hungover and refused to work for me. Such a diva.**

**Next chapter will be the wedding. Expect slow dances. And grinding. Maybe some inappropriate Quil.**

**Thoughts? Opinions? Flames?**


	23. Tear You Apart

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: The song used in this chapter is Tear you Apart by She Wants Revenge. I urge you to listen to it when the time comes, because the lyrics are only half the appeal ;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Three: Tear You Apart<strong>

**Jacob POV**

The days leading up to the wedding were more hectic than they should have been. I barely saw Bella, probably because she felt guilty for not having been home in the past few months to help Sue with her preparations. It was going to be a small ceremony, but Sue and Charlie had so many people who loved them that the guest list was higher than anticipated and that meant more organisation. Bells threw herself into cooking and decorating the hall for the reception, and although all I wanted to do was whisk her away to a secluded spot so we could be alone, I couldn't forget her request that we take things slow, and I never got to see her without at least one other person present. My wolf was not happy. He desperately wanted Bella to see him and show him her acceptance so he could claim her. I just wanted Bella all to myself. It had been far too long since she was really mine and she hadn't even told me if she was staying in Forks for the whole summer.

On top of that, Embry and Alex were taking full advantage of the visit and had been at it like rabbits for the past three days. I knew Embry had werewolf stamina – something I'd been privy to when Jared and Sam recounted marathon sex sessions only ending when the Imprint had passed out – but Alex wasn't an imprint and she was completely human, so I was pretty impressed with her (not that I'd ever mention that to Bells). The only thing was, every time I was around them, it was like a mist of pheromones which just reminded me what the hell I was missing. Bella's scent was intoxicating me – it was like when the imprint broke, the fog clouding my love and desire for Bella had lifted, and now all I could see, hear and smell was her – high definition and surround sound. And whatever the equivalent of Hi-Def smell was.

I couldn't be in the same room as her without feeling this _need _ stirring within me; so much so that I asked Sam to take a run with me to help take my mind off things. Since Emily was in the third trimester of pregnancy, his thoughts were all about protecting her and, much to her dismay, he refused to have sex with her in case his werewolf strength somehow harmed the little girl she was carrying. He was the safest bet in a pack of hormone-driven young adults, now that he was finally talking to me again for nearly exposing us. There had been plenty of fireworks when that little piece of info came out. The pack meeting I had called quickly turned into a beat-the-crap-out-of-Jake and we-always-hated-Addie session. Embry had to reset my arm twice. Paul threatened to cut my dick off since it always seemed to choose the worse possible person to want and Leah even left to find a kitchen knife. Those two made particularly sadistic partners in crime. When the elders heard, I was actually given a reprimand of a week with no phasing and suspended Alpha privileges. I didn't lose any of the extra talents I had, but you try deferring your title to your former boss when you've got a horse-sized wolf trying to chew its way out of your skin to defend its own honour. Not fun.

Of course, being so distracted by Bella was making it hard to control my thoughts and shield them from Sam while we ran. Always the insightful former Alpha, he had some theories of his own about how I was struggling to control things with Bells.

_This mightn't be totally about the imprint breaking, you know. Jake, I'm not bringing this up to piss you off or anything, but if you think hard, what has changed with Bella since you saw her last?_

I could tell he was alluding to something, but was afraid to come out and say it because of my reaction. It didn't matter – I saw in his mind what he meant anyway.

_What the fuck, Sam? Why are you even thinking about that?_

_Cool your paws, Black, it's not like I'm imagining it. You know Bella's always been like the clumsy little sister I never had..._

_Well then, why are you bringing up the fact that she gave it up to that Josh dude? It's not exactly relevant to the conversation._

_Isn't it? Think about it, Jake. Last time you saw Bella she was virginal, innocent – no-one had touched her but you and the leech._

I snarled at his assumption.

_Edward never touched her, asshole. The glitterdouche was too afraid to go farther than first base with her!_

Sam sighed mentally.

_Alright then, that just backs up my theory. So nobody but you had touched her – um... intimately. Fuck knows you did enough of that when you were together. I'm still scarred by the fuckin' replays. _

One such replay of a day Bells and I had been painting the porch outside my house popped into my head. Bella had to go home red-faced and wearing her jacket zipped up in July to hide the two, large, werewolf-sized handprints on her shirt, situated over her breasts. It was a great fucking day.

_Jake, stop thinking about that! What did I __**just **__say?_

_Sorry, Sam. You mentioned it._

_Ugh, seriously do you have photographic memory or something? That is way too detailed._

_Only when it comes to Bells. I could probably sculpt her body from memory. Build her likeness as well as any engine if I wanted to._

_I can tell you're trying to be romantic, but believe me, it's not._

_Fuck you, Sam._

_Do you want the theory or not, baby Alpha?_

I sighed. I really was stumped as to why getting Bella naked was the one thing I could think about. All the damn time. I'd been tightening a bolt on my bike before the run and was somehow reminded of Bella's blush-pink nipples. It was getting ridiculous.

_Lay it on me._

_Well, I think that, because Bella lost her virginity, she's gone through some sort of awakening. She's discovered her sexuality – you said yourself she walks with more confidence now, doesn't seem to stumble as much. Her skin glows, her hair's shinier – she smells better than ever because of the pheromones she's releasing. Bella's grown up. Your wolf knows that, and wants to claim her before anyone else realises it._

_What do you mean, 'anyone else'? There's no-one else in the picture now! She's mine!_

_I know that, but your wolf has been burned by an imprint – the one person who is meant to be reliable for him. Maybe he wants reassurance, wants to be mated to her so he knows she's not going away again._

_But we're not that far yet, Bella needs space for now._

_Well you're going to have to control yourself a little better. Look, I have meditation exercises that Old Quil showed me after the whole Emily thing happened._

An image of Emily's beautiful scarred face popped into his head, and I could almost feel his heartache through it.

_It was so I wouldn't lose control again, and so I could calm myself down when I thought about it and the guilt started slicing chunks out of me. Look, let's head up to the cliffs and I'll show you what to do._

Sam and I spent most of the night working on breathing exercises and meditation until the pull to check on Emily became too much and he had to return home. I stayed out a while longer, running patrol and thinking about what he said. More than I wanted Bella, I didn't want to upset her and scare her away and I needed to respect her decisions. That should be my motivation to keep myself under control; what Bella needs, Bella gets. I lived to be what she needed now – there was no more disputing the fact. I knew she wasn't trying to hold back from me – no matter what my wolf thought. In fact, when I'd explained to Bella that Old Quil told me that she owned part of my soul, in true Bella fashion she just expressed her guilt at not being about to give it back to me – and that she couldn't give me hers in return. I don't think she was quite satisfied to hear that loving me and being mine was more than enough.

I was about a mile out of the reservation when I picked up an unfamiliar scent. It was human, I was sure of it, but something in my instincts told me to follow it. There was no need to alert the pack or anything - humans were no match for me, and there was no point in dragging the guys out of their beds for a strange hunch. It wasn't even technically a threat, just more of an odd, unsettling feeling. I trailed it deep into the forest and back out again, until I got to a clearing that was used as a makeshift car park for hikers and people on camping trips. The scent disappeared and I could make out the smell of gasoline and rubber along with some tyre tracks – whoever this guy was, he had left in a vehicle and was long gone. What the hell was I even doing? I was tracking a human scent for the better part of an hour through the forest, ignoring patrol routes when there were actual leeches to kill, out there, somewhere, and they could come here while I was distracted. Clearly this Bella thing was messing more with my head than I realised. I gave up for the night and swapped with Jared before heading home to sleep. I needed to get control of this before I saw Bells again.

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><p>My newfound control lasted two whole days until I showed up at the wedding ceremony and Bella was wearing a silk, backless red mini dress and had her hair pulled back from her face in soft, natural curls. She was fucking stunning and it was becoming increasingly hard to sit in the congregation when she was a whole ten feet away. Add that to the fact that Seth was escorting her up the aisle and my wolf was growing pretty fucking agitated. No other wolf should be touching our girl before we'd claimed her. God, I hated how possessive I sounded. I decided then and there that the only way this urge could be sated was if I got a little something to tide me over. If I didn't get some alone time with Bella before the night was over I was probably going to have to start sleeping outside her fucking bedroom and <em>taking care<em> of things myself like some stalker creep.

"Jake, dude, the growling might get Bella all revved up but can you keep a lid on it during the ceremony?" Quil whispered from beside me.

"Sorry, man, I can't help it. _Look_ at her. Fuck. I just wanna run my tongue over-"

"Whoa, whoa, man. Children present. What's with you today? You've been fine the past two days," he said, raising an eyebrow at me. I was struggling to stay in my seat. "Is it 'cause Bella's not wearing any underwear?" My head whipped away from Bella for the first time since she arrived to look at him.

"What?" I hissed, barely whispering any more. My dad cleared his throat from his place beside Charlie and glanced at me. I sank down in my seat, trying to hide myself a little. "Why the fuck would you say that?"

"I just assumed... I mean, there's no back on her dress, so bra's out. And it goes down low enough it looks like she skipped over panties too. Plus there's the fact that I'm completely fucking with you," he said, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Not funny, dude, I'm struggling enough as it is!" I shot back, hissing once again. Quil's shoulders jerked with barely contained laughter. He nudged Embry, to his left trying to include him in the joke.

"Look at Jake's face, man. He looks like his balls are in a fucking garbage compressor!" he snickered. Embry didn't respond. "Dude." Quil nudged again. "Emberel-la...?" he sang. Embry finally woke from his reverie.

"Huh? Did you say something?" he asked.

"I've been fucking with Jake for the past five minutes and you just missed it all. What gives, man?" Embry's face immediately became guarded.

"Nothing, just...uh...thinking," he stammered. Something about his face looked stricken and he looked like he'd barely slept. I realised for the first time he hadn't spoken all day. What the hell was eating him?

"Oh-kay," Quil replied, clearly not believing him any more than I was."Embers, watch this," he said before turning back to me. "Bella's nipples," he stated simply.

A visual of what he's just said came to mind and I felt a jolt of electricity shoot straight to my crotch. I was so instantly _hard_ I actually winced and bent over in my seat.

What.

The.

Fuck?

Quil began snickering loudly before he got a rough flick of the finger to the back of his head.

"Stop being so inappropriate, Q-tip," Emily said, adopting Leah's nickname for him. "This is Bella's _dad_'s wedding and you don't need super hearing to know what you just said." Man, she was so like her cousin when she was all pregnant and hormonal. I tried not to think that maybe it was because Sam wasn't giving her any, but Quil beat me to it by stupidly saying it out loud.

"Don't worry, Emily, Sam will give in soon enough," he winked. That one earned him a smack on the back of the head from Kim while Jared, Sam and I laughed. Emily shot him a withering look while Embry just sat there, as if he couldn't even hear us, holding Alex's hand.

The ceremony ended and I couldn't get to Bella fast enough. She was shaking hands and thanking people for coming when I snuck up behind her and laced my arms around her waist.

"You know, having this much skin on show might give a guy encouragement he doesn't need." I whispered to her before pressing a kiss to her temple The naked skin on her back was calling to me and all I wanted to do was lay her down and cover it with kisses. Wait, no, that wasn't all I wanted to do, but it was where I wanted to start.

She was smiling when she turned to face me and I didn't miss the appraising look she gave my body. _Oh yeah, she wants me too._

"It's not my fault if someone's getting signals I'm not sending," she replied, biting her lip and looking up at me through those thick, beautiful lashes. She took my hand in hers and shook it, letting our touch linger. "Thanks so much for coming, Jacob," she purred as she slinked off to mingle some more. Oh, so it's going to be like that is it? My wolf rumbled in delight. We loved a good chase. It made the reward taste_ so_ much better.

For the next couple hours over the buffet dinner and the first few songs, my eyes never left Bella, and hers never left me for very long either.

_Got a big plan, his mind's set, maybe it's right_

_At the right place and right time, maybe tonight_

_In a whisper or handshake sending a sign_

_Wanna make out and kiss hard? Wait never mind._

Every look she gave me was like a shockwave. All I wanted to do was feel her on my skin. Her lips, her hair, her eyes, everything about her so perfect that I just wanted to get closer to it. Touch it, claim it as mine. She was making my knees weak and my chest tight as she moved around the crowd, playing hostess, the dutiful daughter. I just wanted to get her alone, strip down those layers and let her show me who she really was when the lights went out. Let me inside her mind. Let me inside her soul. Fuck it, let me inside _her. _God, I wanted her – all of her. But I had to wait, she'd wanted to take things slow, and that was what we would do. It didn't mean it wasn't fucking killing me to do it.

I thought back to before, when she wasn't mine but I'd wanted her so bad. Everything she did, I'd analyse it in my head. _Did that mean she likes me? Does she want me like I want her? _It was borderline obsessive, but hey, I was sixteen and she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever met. Sure, the guys just thought it was a crush I'd forget about in a few months. I'd never forget Bella. Now, I was back to reading signals. That _want was _coming back to me, full force. I needed some damn air.

_It's cute in a way, till you cannot speak_

_And you leave to have a cigarette, knees get weak_

_Escape was just a nod and a casual wave_

_Obsess about it, heavy for the next two days_

_It's only just a crush, it'll go away_

_It's just like all the others it'll go away_

_Or maybe this is danger and you just don't know_

_You pray it all away but it continues to grow._

I walked outside to find Alex, smoking. She had that same worried expression Embry had all day. Thank fuck, a distraction.

"Hey, Alex," I greeted. She jumped as if she hadn't even heard me approach. _What is with them today?_

"Jakey-boy. What's the haps?" she slurred. _Okay, she's not obsessing like Embry is. She's drunk._

"I'm good, sweetie. Enjoying the reception?" I asked, leaning against the wall and stuffing my hands in the pockets of my suit pants. Alex took a long drag and puffed out.

"Sure am, Quil keeps buying me shots. Think he's trying to distract me from the fact Embry's on his period," she giggled. _Hmm, she noticed too, huh?_

"Em gets a little... inside his own head sometimes. I wouldn't take it personally," I comforted. She gave me a grateful smile and laid a hand on my arm.

"Thanks, Jacob," she said. "But if there's one thing I've learned about relationships it's not to blame yourself until you know it's your fault. If I've fucked up somehow, I'm not aware of it, so why worry?" she said, giving a cute little shrug of her shoulders. It was a gesture I was pretty sure she'd picked up from Bella.

"You're pretty smart, Alex," I grinned.

"Yeah, I know, which is why I told Bella to quit holding out on you and drag you back to her empty house tonight," she said, finishing her cigarette. She shot me a smirk as she disappeared inside while I just watched after her dumbly. She was _so_ going to get it if she was fucking with me.

I went back inside and immediately sought out Bells. The music was winding down to a slow, sensual number and I approached her, ushering her on to the dance floor. I just had to be close to her. I wanted to feel her warmth when I held her.

"Have you been avoiding me, Miss Swan?" I breathed, placing my hand on the small of her back. She laced her fingers with mine and smirked.

"You know, for a wolf, you don't seem to be very good at sniffing me out. I've been pretty far away from you all evening," she purred. Did she know what that tone of voice did to me? I felt like it was stroking my body all over, straight down to my groin. "Didn't you want to touch me, Jake?" she asked innocently. Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing. Was Sam right? Was this the new, confident Bella who had been awakened to everything her body could do to me? I wasn't sure, I just knew I had to get to know her better. "I wanted you to touch me," she whispered right in my ear.

Holy fuck. I was so hard I was worried about the future of my pants. And I could _smell_ her. That delicious, tangy, strawberry scent. But now it was stronger – more potent, concentrated, and it practically screamed _sex. _Bella was _wet _for me. And the idea of that stopped me from even thinking straight. I just stared into those eyes and basked there.

_And they talked and looked away a lot, doing the dance_

_Her hand brushed up against his, she left it there_

_Told him how she felt and then they locked in a stare_

I suddenly buried my head in her neck and inhaled. I had to do something about this. We couldn't dance around this anymore. I had to get Bella alone-and fast. But first I just had to kiss this one spot right here on her neck because it was so soft and right there and Jesus Christ she smelled so _good._ Bella whimpered quietly and leaned into my touch. A fresh wave of scent hit me before she went stiff. I instantly remembered where we were. Everyone we knew was around us. This was_ so_ not appropriate.

_They took a step back, thought about it, what should they do?_

_Cause there's always repercussions when you're dating in school_

Okay just maybe _one_ quick kiss. She melted into me and I felt like I was slowly burning from the inside out. I just wanted her hands on me. I wanted to give everything to her. I didn't care about anything but Bella. I'd waited so fucking long for this and she had to be mine, right now.

_But their lips met, and reservations started to pass_

_Whether this was just an evening or a thing that would last_

_Either way he wanted her and this was bad_

_Wanted to do things to her it was making him crazy_

_Now a little crush turned into a like_

_And now he wants to grab her by the hair and tell her_

I took Bella by the hand and started guiding her out of the main room. We had to find somewhere; I just had to be near her. All thoughts of putting her in a car and driving to her house went out the window when we passed the open doorway and a fresh gust of wind from outside blew her scent on to me again and before I knew it we were in a secluded room and I had her pushed against the door lips crashed together; legs around my waist. Her breathing was erratic, her chest was heaving in that tight little dress and fuck me, Quil was right about the bra because I could make out her nipples through the silk. I was now painfully aware that the only thing separating me from the wet, hot sweetness that was making slow, languid grinds over my hard-on was a few measly layers of fabric.

_I want to hold you close_

_Skin pressed against me tight_

_Lie still, and close your eyes girl_

_So lovely, it feels so right_

I knew what Bella liked, her body was ingrained on my memory and I thanked whatever God was responsible for that fact as I inched my hand up her thigh. I was feasting on her, running my tongue down over her delicate collar bone. She was mewling and whimpering and I was so fucking happy that this was _me_ doing this to her. I found the edge of soft, lace panties and hesitated. She groaned almost in frustration. I smiled darkly.

"Is this how you wanted me to touch you, Bella?"

She nodded furiously against my neck.

"Did you wear these sexy little panties for me, huh? Did you plan to let me see them?"

Another nod.

Hmm," I mock contemplated, pausing to nibble softly on her ear lobe. "I don't think it's very fair you didn't let me in on that little secret, do you?" I teased. Her only response was to pick up her breathing and run a rough hand through my hair, trying to move my head where she could kiss me. She was soaking my hand already and I was so fucking turned on I could have combusted.

"I know just what to do with you, Bella," I said, running my nose up and down the length of her perfect neck. "I'm going to make you come," I said simply, earning me a sharp little gasp. "I'll make you come so hard you'll want to_ scream_."

She moaned in response and kissed me. Hard. I pulled away again.

"Ah, ah, ah, honey. You'll _want_ to scream," I said, beginning my slow, torturous ministrations on her little bundle of nerves. "But you can't. Remember where we are sweetie. After that, I'm going to take you away from here. And then we'll see how else you can make it up to me," I finished, before attacking her lips with my own. If she was going to be mine tonight, I was going to take my damn time with it.

_I want to hold you close_

_Soft breath, beating heart_

_As I whisper in your ear_

_I want to fucking tear you apart_

Bella was getting close. I could feel the rhythmic pulsations between her legs already and her moans were getting harder and harder and harder to silence with my kisses. My girl was about to fall apart for me and I wasn't planning on missing a damn second of it.

"That's it, baby. Let yourself go. Let me see that beautiful blush. You know how hot it gets me. Good girl," I encouraged. I'd never wanted anything so bad from her in my life. She panted and writhed and she was so fucking close I could taste it.

Of course this was the moment Quil fucking Ateara banged on the door.

"Embry, you in there?" he shouted through the wood. "Alex is really fucking upset, man, what did you say?" he asked. I could tell from his tone he was pretty smashed, which explained why he didn't think to follow Em's scent instead of banging on random doors. The mention of an upset Alex snapped Bella right out of our lust-filled haze and straight into helping her friend. She stood down on wobbly legs and threw open the door.

"Quil! Where's Alex?" she said. Her voice was full of concern and even though i hated life right now I couldn't help but love her.

"I don't know, Bella, she stormed out just after Embry did, she looked like she was crying, I tried to follow Em to see what happened. They were talking one minute and the next he's gone," he informed. Bella turned to me immediately and gave me a pleading look.

"Can you go find him? Maybe bring him back here? I've got to get to Alex. If she's crying over a guy, it's serious," she said. I couldn't deny her anything, of course. I just nodded obediently and contemplated the quickest way to slaughter Embry Call for making Quil interrupt us.

"Sure, sure," I said, and she smiled warmly. Guess it's been a while since she heard me say that. I kissed her forehead and turned to the direction Quil was running to, thinking I could detect some of Embry's scent leading outside. I got my answer though, when I got to the parking lot. Embry's clothes lay strewn around the blacktop, remnants of a mid-air phase.

In the distant darkness of the forest, I heard a single wolf howl.

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah, you hate me.**

**How did I do with the near lemon? Are we tense yet?**

**What's up with Embry?**

**Thoughts?Opinions? Flames?**


	24. Partying With QDawg

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Four: Partying With Q-Dawg<strong>

If it's wrong to spend most of your own dad's wedding reception eye-fucking his best friend's son from across the room, I'm pretty sure I've booked my ticket to hell. Everywhere he was, I was aware of him, even without looking at him directly. It was like his eyes were radiating heat and my panties were having trouble keeping up with everything stirring within me. It seemed impossible, I mean, I've been sexually attracted to guys before – Josh was really easy on the eyes, but he didn't turn me into a puddle of sexy goo every time he looked at me. Jake was oozing power, dominance and sexuality and well, I guess those are my turn-ons because _holy hell._

The wedding was really beautiful. Charlie had spent the day before fishing with Billy and his deputy, Pete, drinking beer and doing whatever it is fathers do when they get together. It fascinated me that men can just skulk off when there's so much stuff to organise, but I guess his own bachelor party was excuse enough. I'd been run into the ground with preparations, Leah and I shouldering most of the burden because we didn't want Sue to have to stress herself out. This was her day. We put The Pack to work moving furniture, had to replace Seth's suit because he was _still _growing and had to talk Quil out of being the DJ, but everything came together. I had a mental list of things in my head right up until I arrived at the ceremony, and then my mind turned to mush because Jake was wearing a starched, white tuxedo shirt and suit pants and he looked freakin' delicious. I still couldn't believe he was really mine, but you know what? I felt like now, I finally deserved him. I'd been through quite a lot in my life. Now I was stronger, smarter and I knew it took a lot more to break me that being unlucky in love. I'd taken care of myself in a strange city for over a year. I'd made my own circle of friends and I'd discovered new things about myself that I hadn't known. This Bella wasn't the shy, retiring type, afraid of how I was going to survive without my boyfriend or my best friend beside me. I was finally the person I was meant to be. I deserved to be the woman on Jacob Black's arm.

I was enjoying all of the teasing far too much when I caught up with Alex and Quil. They were at the bar and had three shots lined up. Each. I couldn't help but notice that Embry was sitting alone at their table, tracing the condensation down the side of his beer.

"What's with him?" I asked Alex and her gaze flickered to Embry momentarily. I didn't miss the worry in her eyes before she smiled it away.

"Pfft, he's just jealous he can't party like me and the Q-dawg," she said, slinging an arm around Quil's shoulder as he burped loudly.

"Yeah... since when does Embry skip out on a good time?" I asked sceptically, knowing full well that Embry was one of the most fun-loving guys I knew. "Did you guys have a fight?" I enquired. Alex frowned and shook her head.

"If we did, he sure as hell didn't tell _me_ we were. I woke up this morning in his bed and he was like this. All quiet and brooding. If he thinks it's hot... well it kind of is, but he'd taking it too far," she complained. I couldn't help but smirk at her inability to be mad at him. Quil sighed.

"Look, Bella, he's got a lot to think about," he said pointedly. I knew he was trying to hint at something but I couldn't really tell what he meant. It was something to do with The Pack; that much I knew, because he couldn't say in front of Alex. She pulled her arm back from around his neck.

"Why do you guys always do that?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Do what?" he asked innocently, but he shot a panicked glance in my direction.

"You all talk in riddles, even you do it, Bella," she said accusingly, then sighed and took a shot. She held out the little glass to me to show I was the target of her next words. "Look, I know you guys probably have some big secrets from growing up together...but please, do me a favour and warn me if it's some_ I-Know-What-You-Did-Last-Summer _shit, because I don't want to get stabbed and the hot girls always die first. That's me and _you,_ Bella," she said, finishing seriously. I couldn't help the splutter of laughter that escaped my lips. Alex downed a second shot.

"Glad you find my concerns amusing, Bellie," she drawled.

"I'm sorry Alex," I said, trying not to giggle. "But seriously, you think we killed someone and we're all covering it up? Have you met Quil? He couldn't even keep it a secret when he hooked up with Paul's cousin. He tried to brag to Paul and got his ass kicked for it!" I was pointing to Quil and shuddering with laughter. Quil wrinkled his nose at the memory.

"I forgot they were cousins," he defended himself, just making me laugh louder.

"Paul introduced you!" I spluttered. Quil let a smile break out and soon he was laughing too. It just made it all the more apparent that Embry was sitting there staring into space. Alex cleared her throat and nodded towards him.

"Let's see if we can't put a smile on his face, huh?" she said before walking determinedly towards him. Quil smiled after her as we watched her go.

"She's pretty into him, huh?" Quil said. I just smiled warmly at her and nodded as she walked up behind where Embry was seated and nuzzled his hair roughly, making him turn round.

"She doesn't normally get like this, you know," I confided. "Alex changes her guys like her shoes. A new one for each season, often they come in pairs." Quil smiled smugly.

"Once you go Black-Pack, you never go back," he winked. I groaned at the attempted humour.

"Please hide that one from Jake?" I asked, knowing full well it was going to become a slogan.

"Who do you think came up with it? He just left out the 'pack'," he retorted. That figured.

I couldn't help the little pang of worry that struck me as I noticed Alex give up on trying to engage Embry in conversation and head outside holding her cigarettes. Suddenly, the worry turned to outright fear. I turned to Quil and eyed him closely.

"Has Embry imprinted, Quil? I need you to tell me the truth, because I'm going to have to do a lot of lying to my best friend in the coming days if he has..." I warned. Quil's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and he shook his head.

"Fuck no, he would tell me," he replied earnestly. "At least, I think he would." He scrunched his brows together and studied his pack brother. "He won't talk to me, Bella. This hasn't happened before," he confided, "I'm kind of lost." My heart melted for Quil. How the hell did he always manage to be so light-hearted and full of mischief with so much drama around him?

"He'll tell you, Quil. I'm sure if he did imprint he couldn't keep it a secret. I mean, how long before you all knew Jake did?" I asked, curious to find out more about that time in Jacob's life. Quil scoffed.

"With Jake, we knew as soon as he phased in, because we all phased back human as soon as we could. That shit was harsh. Then there was the fact that he tore up his garage and spent a week running the mile-wide perimeter around your house, trying to convince himself that if you'd figure out that he'd imprinted you'd come home and he'd forget about Addie," he chuckled. "He wouldn't run back to the East coast to find you in case he ended up in Hanover."

My heart leapt at this new information. Jake really had fought the imprint with everything he had. I had that to be thankful for now; it was probably partially down to his stubbornness that it was able to be broken. The other part being that I owned part of Jacob's soul. I still didn't know how to feel about that. I knew it was amazing that he'd given me something so precious, something that, when I was with Edward, I wasn't even convinced existed, but somehow, it explained Jake and me. Jake was always giving what he could of himself to make my life better. I just hated always having to be the taker. Jake deserved something from me too.

Soon enough, Jake himself was back in front of me, we were dancing one second and the next I was being ground up against a door in a dark room where every one of my senses was being tantalized by everything that was _Jake._ I felt like I was spinning into orbit.

We crashed back to earth with the information that Alex and Embry appeared to be fighting. Alex never usually even stuck around in a relationship long enough to fight with the guy, never mind let him get to her. I sent Jake off to round up Embry while I sought her out. She'd been pretty tipsy the last time I'd seen her, but evidently she and Embry had had a sobering conversation. She sat outside at the opposite side of the building, chain-smoking and trying to muffle her own sobs.

"Alex, sweetie, what happened?" I asked gently, pulling her into my arms.

"I'm been a stupid bitch, Bella, that's what," she spat, angry with herself more than anyone. "I said it. I know I'm pretty drunk but you know what they say, a drunken mouth speaks a sober heart..."

"You said what, Alex?" I prodded. I had a pretty good idea but this was so out of character for her I had to be sure.

"I told him I was falling for him. I could see myself in love with him. And in true guy fashion, he freaked out on me," she said dejectedly. I tightened my hold on her as her body shuddered with another barely-contained sob. "I don't know why I thought he'd be any different."

"Because he is, Alex. You know he is, you know what's in his heart," I consoled. My own heart was breaking for her but I couldn't understand Embry's behaviour.

"Yeah well, he disagreed with me. He told me I couldn't be falling for him because I didn't really know him. That I wouldn't love him when I knew the truth, whatever that's supposed to mean."

Ah. Embry was afraid his wolf would ruin the relationship. Finally, things were making sense. He was probably realising they were both getting in too deep and that if he imprinted, he'd end up destroying her. I couldn't even disagree with him. What could I say?

"Look, Alex, I know you're suspicious of things around here, and believe me, it's killing me right now not to be able to come clean about everything," I said, sighing frustratedly. "Embry is still the guy you know, he's just afraid of hurting you." Alex leaned away and looked into my eyes.

"So you know everything that's going on and you've been lying to me? Why are you even here, Bella, if you can't just tell me what the fuck's going on?" she spat angrily.

"It's not my place to tell you, Alex. I wish I could, please believe me on that," I pleaded. This was tearing me apart. She was my best friend and I had the power to calm her fears but I just couldn't do that. It wasn't in my power.

"Just leave me alone, Bella. I need to be by myself for a while," she said, turning away from me. I knew from experience that the conversation was now over.

* * *

><p>I don't know how Alex managed it, but she was actually able to avoid talking to me for the next two days, despite the fact we were both staying in my house. Charlie and Sue had gone to Seattle for a short honeymoon and I was afraid she'd leave for New York before everything was resolved. Embry went wolf while I was on her freeze-out, and I'd just gotten update calls from Jake as to how he was doing. On the third day, Jake came by to see me, looking tired and worn out. He'd kept a near constant vigil by Embry's side, trying to convince him to phase back so they could talk things out, man-to-man. We sat in my truck outside, discussing everything where Alex couldn't overhear.<p>

"I've never seen him like this, Bells. He's always so together. His mind, its," he sighed before finding the correct word, "tortured."

"Everything would be so much easier if we could just tell her. She just thinks he's rejected her without proper reason," I said. Jake nodded and looked towards the family room window where Alex was watching TV.

"I'm planning on going to the council, to make an appeal so we can tell her," he said. My eyes widened in shock.

"Jake, you know how difficult that will be, she's not an imprint and it's not as if she's had experience with this stuff like I did," I breathed. I couldn't believe how much confidence he had in a girl he barely knew.

"It's a last resort, Bells. I wouldn't even be considering it if there was some other solution. I've been inside his head. She's it for him. It's almost as strong as what i feel for you." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles.

"Wow," was all I could say. "But what if he imprints? What happens if Alex gets burned badly and doesn't have as much of a reason to keep the secret any more?"

"I have a theory on that," he said cryptically. "I need to do some research before I approach the council. They're going to have way more questions than you. You really think Alex would do that?" I just shook my head, being honest. He clenched his jaw adamantly before continuing. "I can't just sit around and do nothing. He's my beta, my brother. He's helped me more than anyone could ever know. I have to do whatever it takes for him to be happy. Fuck knows he deserves it."

We just sat in silence for a while, mulling over the possible outcomes of the situation. I decided I had to try to help somehow.

"Let me talk to him, Jake," I asked. He gave me a surprised look before shooting me down.

"No way, Bells. He's not himself right now. I'm not letting you anywhere near a volatile wolf. I just couldn't deal with it if something bad happened to you," he said, focusing his dark eyes on mine. I felt the weight of his words deep in the pit of my soul. Losing me would destroy Jake. I knew that, but the facts were clear to me now. Losing Alex would destroy Embry.

"Jake, it's Embry. You said it yourself, he's hurting, but he's still your brother. Would he really do anything to hurt me when he knows what we mean to each other?" Jake seemed to mull over what I'd said sceptically. "And you can be there the whole time to protect me."

He thought for a long moment before finally sighing in defeat.

"I don't like it, but I need to try everything before I approach the council on this."

Ten minutes later, I was holding on to Jake's fur for dear life as the trees whipped by. His wolf had covered my face and any exposed skin in affectionate licks after he'd phased, his chest rumbling contentedly as I petted him. It was like being reacquainted with an old friend, and I shed a tear as I realised how much I'd missed this side of the man I loved so much. Being near him felt like home to me. Jake had told me of his wolf's anticipation to see me again, and for me to accept him as Addie never did. It was just one more thing that showed me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we were meant to be together.

After a short while, Jake slowed down to a slow trot, and I sensed his apprehension as we neared Embry. I gasped when I caught sight of him, huddled in a thin copse of trees. He looked so forlorn that my heart ached. This creature was meant to be a symbol of power, of pride, but right now, he just looked like a lost puppy rejected from his home. He jumped slightly as I called his name tentatively. His large head rose and I noticed his beautiful grey fur had been matted and there even seemed to be chunks of it missing in places. Embry was a wreck.

"Em, it's Bella. I'm here to ask you to please come home. This thing isn't going to get resolved if you and Alex don't start talking to one another," I said gently. He let out a sorrowful whine at the mention of her name.

"I know this sucks; that you want to spare her all the hurt that will come if you imprint, but you're hurting her already by doing this. She hasn't spoken in days," I said. Embry's eyes closed tightly and I knew my words were painful to him, but I just had to make him see.

"I've been where you are, where you see no solution but to bow out before everything falls apart, but I've also been where Alex is, and that's no fun either," I said, trying to make a light joke of it. He just let his head fall heavily on to his forepaws.

"Please, just phase back so we can talk. I feel kind of stupid carrying on a one sided conversation. People around here think I'm weird enough as it is," I said, and Jake let out a light huff that could only be described as wolf laughter.

Suddenly, Embry's ears perked up and he let out a low, menacing growl. I backed up, knocking into Jake's wolf, who was also on high alert. I panicked for a second that I'd pissed Embry off, and Jake had gone into protector mode, but I soon noticed their attention was drawn to the clearing just beyond the trees. It would just be my luck that a vampire would be on the loose the one time I come into the forest.

Before I knew it, both wolves were in front of me in a protective stance, and I started to hear the rustling of footsteps and whispered conversation. Vampires were never this loud. Whatever had gotten their hackles up, was human.

"I'm telling you, Carl, it's a hoax. You know I was actually excited when you told me we weren't hunting BigFoot this year," a rough, gravelly voice said. Just then, two, overweight men in their mid fifties came into view."I mean, giant, horse-sized wolves? Give me a break. The video was a fake, I'm tellin' ya."

Embry took a step forward and his growling grew louder. Both men stiffened and raised their rifles.

"Did you hear that? That sure didn't sound like no normal wolf to me!" the other man, Carl, exclaimed. They were turning in circles, trying to determine where the sound came from. My heart was pounding. Word had gotten out about the wolves and now it was attracting nut-jobs hell bent on shooting one of my friends. This could not be fucking happening. Jake gave Embry a pointed stare, and after a brief moment of silent communication, Embry loped off into the trees. He'd been ordered to leave.

This now left me, Jacob's wolf and two idiots with guns who had picked the wrong forest to hunt in. Jake looked at me pleadingly and I instinctively knew what he meant.

_Stay still. Don't make a sound. I'll get us out of this._

I nodded in confirmation, wondering obliquely why he didn't just phase back. It probably had something to do with making sure Embry had gotten away alright. Jake would always protect others before himself. It was one of the many things that made him Jake, and I loved it. He put a large paw in front of my feet, silently warning me to stay behind him.

Of course, because I'm Bella Fucking Swan, this would be the one time my clumsiness reared its ugly head, I stumbled backwards, flailing frantically for some purchase on the tree nearest to me. I grabbed a thin branch, but snapped it in my struggle. The noise was enough to alert the hunters and before I knew it, they were making a beeline right in our direction – right for Jake.

I panicked. I wasn't sure what damage a bullet could do to him, but I sure as hell wasn't going to find out. Regardless, we didn't need anyone else gaining proof and telling the world their secret.

In a split second, I darted out in front of Jacob's paw, hoping to distract them enough for him to get away. I'd somehow forgotten Charlie's endless warnings of not to spook someone holding a firearm. The thought in my head was just how sincerely pissed he would be at me - as a single shot rang through the air, and everything went dark.

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><p><strong>AN: Was anyone expecting that? Who hasn't wanted to shoot Bella at some point?**

**My heart is hurting for Embry and Alex. They have to work things out!**

**Excited to hear your thoughts on this one. :]**


	25. Keep Breathing

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: The songs in this chapter are 'Please Don't Go' by Barcelona and two Alkaline Trio songs - 'Buried' and 'Hating Every Minute'**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Five: Keep Breathing<strong>

**Bella POV**

I'd always thought out-of-body experiences were a load of crap, but I definitely felt like an onlooker, observing my life from the outside that day – the day I was shot.

I knew I'd lost a lot of blood. I could barely keep my eyes open as Jacob ran with me in his arms for endless miles.

"Hold on, honey. Keep breathing... fuck. Bells, please don't leave me now... I can't- _Please..._"

More than anything, I wanted to reassure Jacob. I wanted to tell him, 'it's okay, I'm not going anywhere without you.' But my limbs felt so heavy, my mouth was dry and I just couldn't form words. For the first time in Jacob's embrace, I was so _cold._

"We'll get you to a doctor, baby, and they'll fix you right up. You'll see. You have to be around for Charlie to kick my ass for letting this happen to you. You want to see that, don't you Bells?"

He was pleading with me, and I was aware of something warm and wet peppering my cheek. Was Jacob crying? That didn't make sense. Jacob was sunshine in a bottle. He didn't cry. Why was he crying? I tried to talk again, but it just came out as some pained groans_. Way to be articulate, Bella._

"Shh, sweetie, don't talk. Just breathe for me, Bells. I need you to_ breathe_."

I didn't know why he sounded so worried. I didn't plan on dying today. Not when Jake had spent his life keeping me alive. He'd kept my blood flowing through my veins and kept air in my lungs when I didn't even have the self-preservation to do it for myself. When I had one foot in the grave, Jacob had been the one to yank me straight back out of it.

_I'm awake._

_It was a half-bad dream,_

_That was way too long,_

_My whole life it seemed._

_Then someone started digging me up,_

_Turned my headstone into dust._

Why was everything so dark? It had been daylight a moment ago. All I could make out was rapid slivers of light in my vision, interrupted by the canopy of trees and Jacob's tortured face, his eyes willing me to just _stay._

_The sun was swallowed by the trees,_

_The night was here for good._

_You pulled my hand and my head up,_

_You put oxygen into my blood._

Over the years, I'd come to the conclusion that I'd die at the hands of some supernatural creature. I never thought a bullet would be the thing to end my life. There was still so much more I had to do. I had to spend my life with Jacob. I wanted to wake up every morning in his arms, safe in his warmth. I wanted to see the look on his face the day I told him I was carrying our child. I needed to hear him tell me he loved me when it didn't sound so final.

* * *

><p><strong>Jacob POV<strong>

No.

NO.

She's mine now. She's finally mine and we're finally able to be together and I'm not letting this happen. We fought for each other. We overcame all obstacles. She beat my imprint. I beat her fucking vampire. We need each other. I need her. I can't survive if she leaves me. She just needs to _keep breathing_.

_All those arrows you threw, you threw them away._

_You kept falling in love, then one day,_

_When you fell, you fell towards me._

_When you crashed in the clouds, you found me._

I ran with her in my arms to the hospital. I don't know where I found the wherewithal to actually drag on a pair of pants, but I did. It's funny, with all my wolfish talents, it can sometimes feel like I'm being over-run with sensations. Not today, though. In those moments, all I could see was the light dimming in Bella's eyes. All that could touch me was the cold, clammy feeling of her skin. All other scents faded out compared to that spine-chilling, copper smell of her blood. Her rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing was the only sound in my world.

"Just hold on to me, baby. You just hold on and you stay with me. Please, don't leave me, Bells."

I knew in the very depths of my soul, that if Bella didn't survive today, neither would I; not _really_. Sure, there would be a ghost of a shell of a guy who used to be Jacob Black hanging around, but it wouldn't really be me. She owned too much of what made me who I was for that, and if she was going to go, she'd take it with her. I guessed I wouldn't care all that much. I couldn't face reality again if Bella wasn't in it.

_Oh, please don't go,__  
><em>_I want you so.__  
><em>_I can't let go,__  
><em>_For I lose control._

She just had to_ keep breathing._

* * *

><p><strong>Embry POV<strong>

I had so sure what I was going through was really important. Now, sitting in the waiting room of the hospital with Jake and Alex, waiting for Bella to get out of surgery, I felt like a complete asshole. Jake was a mess. He wasn't even forming full sentences any more – just kept shaking his head and muttering, like he was challenging whatever deity that was listening to _dare _to try to take Bella away. It had only been when he finally let the doctors pry his arms off her that we noticed the near-healed bullet wound in his side. The bullet that shot Bella had gone right through her and hit Jake too. He didn't even notice when he saw her go down.

The guys were still back in the forest, apprehending the two fuckers who did this. I told them not to do anything to them yet – Jake wasn't in a place fit to be making decisions and even then, he'd probably want to exact punishment himself. Seth was trying to get a hold of his mom and Charlie while Leah had gone on a coffee run fifteen minutes ago. I had a feeling it was taking her so long because she couldn't deal with the atmosphere right now. Hell, I was fucking jealous if her.

Alex wouldn't look at me. She'd just been told Bella was shot, nothing more, and I realised she hadn't asked any more questions because she knew, whatever we told her would be half truths and lies. It killed me to admit it that she was one hundred percent correct. Jake mumbled something about getting an update and wandered off in the wrong direction. It was probably best to just leave him be – he'd probably forget where he was going anyway.

That left me and the love of my life – who couldn't even meet my gaze – sitting opposite each other in that horrible room. She was so freakin' beautiful. I could tell she hadn't slept much – I knew how she felt. Her hair was pulled back from her gorgeous face in a messy bun-type-thing. She had no-make-up on, which was rare for Alex but it wasn't like she really needed it. She was wearing yoga pants and my Led Zeppelin shirt and I'd never seen a girl look so stunning in my entire life. I had no idea what the hell to do when she spoke.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said. I'd never heard her sound so dejected before. I just shook my head. I didn't know I was looking at her any certain way. "You're looking at me like you're_ so_ sorry for everything. Well **fuck you,** Embry Call!" she spat, trying to sound angry but the tears in her eyes were stabbing me in the gut. "It took my best friend getting shot for you to bother to be in the same room as me. Now she's hurt and cut open and I wasn't talking to her over **you**, and you don't get to look at me like that!" she said, her sweet voice wracked with sobs.

I had never wanted to hold her more in my life. But I couldn't. I didn't know if she'd even want me touching her, and my hands itched to reach out. I so wanted to tell her everything – I was done trying to pull away. Looking at Jake now was a glimpse into my future without Alex in it. Who was I kidding thinking I could be okay without her? But I couldn't stomach the lying every day. What the hell was I supposed to do?

_I'm waiting, for whatever better time_

_To evict these words that have rented out my mind._

_And I'm hating every minute that I don't speak out loud,_

_like a year laying down_

Alex got up and started pacing. I felt like she wanted to get out of here but her love for Bella was keeping her in this very room, refusing to go until she heard more. It just proved to me how much Bella meant to her – if she'd put up being here with my worthless ass.

_Sit down, please make yourself comfortable._

_I might need some time,_

_To dance around what I need to say,_

_I love you to death, I think I need a break._

"Alex, please, sit down... you need to relax," I said. She seemed so shocked that I'd actually spoken to her that she sat down immediately. I sighed. She was looking at me expectantly, like I was finally going to start talking to her about the secret. I pressed my knuckles into my eye sockets and groaned. I fucking hated everything right then. "Baby, I know I've got a lot of explaining to do, but I really can't get into it right now. I just want you to know that I'm sorry and the things I've been keeping from you – well, I literally didn't have a choice. It's tribal stuff; stupid outdated crap that I let get the better of me," I rambled, finally taking my hands away and risking a look at her. She was listening intently to everything I said. My heart clenched at the look on her face. She was so...trusting. How the fuck did I deserve that?

I got up from my seat and walked across the room to her. I kneeled down in front of her and I took her little hands in mine.

"Baby, you're all I'm ever going to want out of life. I'm going to fight for us. I was stupid to think I should let anyone or anything tell me who I'm meant to be with. You're mine, Alex, and I'm yours and I'm really fucking sorry I didn't say it before but I love you," I said, and she was really crying now. She grabbed me by the hair roughly with both hands and pressed her lips to mine in a passionate kiss. It was the best thing I'd ever experienced. Why the hell should I let a tribe who barely acknowledged me until I started bursting out of my skin on a regular basis to dictate who I should be able to share my secrets with? Look at us now. Alex was kissing me and I was drowning in her and we belonged to each other.

And I was going to fight for her.

* * *

><p><strong>Bella POV<strong>

I could smell him. I felt like pummelled crap and I was so damn tired but I could _smell _Jacob and the thought of seeing him was pulling me awake. I attempted to open my eyes twice before I could make out any definite shapes.

There was a dark mass of jet black hair on my lap. It was sticking up in adorably messy angles and looked like it had been ruffled a lot in the last few hours. Jake was passed out, sleeping on his folded arms. I reached out to wake him, but whatever drugs I was on seemed to be messing with my depth perception. His hair looked so _soft_. I just wanted to touch it.

I ran my fingers over his scalp, and he stirred awake. He took a second to look around and remember where he was before his gaze darted to me. His hair was completely flat on one side where he'd been sleeping. I'd never seen anything so gorgeous in my life.

"Bells!" he breathed, before attacking my face in kisses. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain? I can get the nurse for you. Holy shit, baby, please don't ever scare me like that again!" he blurted out before my brain could catch up.

"Water?" was all I could say. I guessed I shouldn't be even attempting speech until I'd gotten rid of this damn cotton mouth.

"Of course, baby, sorry!" he said, reaching for the jug and plastic cup before I'd even had a chance to look for it. He pressed kisses to my temple, each of my fingers on my left hand and buried his nose in my neck. I guessed he found some source of comfort in my scent, like I did his. I never wanted him to let me go. I unconsciously moved into him, unknowingly pulling at what felt like stitches in my abdomen. I winced at the sensation. This was _not _fun.

"Careful honey, you just had surgery," he said, pulling back the blanket where I could make out dressings under my thin hospital gown. He traced the bandage over the material before kissing it softly. He kept his eyes trained on my stomach as he spoke. "It wasn't as bad as we first thought. You lost a kidney, but it was just an inch shy of your spine, so it could have been so much worse."

Leave it to Jake to put a positive spin on losing an organ.

"Will I be okay?" I asked, proud that I'd finished a sentence this time. He took my hand in his again and kissed it.

"You're going to be just fine. Doctor says people function completely normally with just one kidney. Besides, you're going to have twenty-four-hour servants at your beck and call until you're healed," he winked. I wondered how The Pack were going to feel about that one.

"What about... hunters," I questioned. I was starting to feel groggy again, but I couldn't help but worry that The Pack had done something terrible to them. After all, they were just humans who made a poor decision. And shot me. Jacobs expression darkened.

"I'm going to deal with them later," he said. Before I could question him further, he was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.

"The hell you are, son. Human criminals are my jurisdiction!" Charlie made his way across the threshold to my bedside, giving Jake a steely glare the whole time. He took my hand then, and his eyes never left me as he continued to speak. "You mind telling me though, Jacob, how it is that _you're_ the giant wolf and it's _my little girl_ who almost ended up the trophy kill?"

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><p><strong>AN: Sooo.. Bella's okay! Horray! I really didn't want to do that to Jake. He'd probably hunt me down anyway – and not in a good way.**

**How were Embry and Alex for you? I couldn't exactly resolve everything in this chapter but the fact that Embry hasn't given up on them yet is something. And he said he loved her! D'aawwww!**

**Charlie knows about the wolves... Guess Bella's got some 'splainin to do!**

**Thoughts?**


	26. The Twilight Zone

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Six: The Twilight Zone<strong>

**Bella POV**

It took a nurse, a doctor and a security guard to finally shut Jake and my dad up. Their argument went around in circles, descending into shouting before someone finally intervened. The thing that was freaking me out the most was that Jacob wasn't surprised that Charlie knew his secret – and Charlie didn't seem surprised at all. Wasn't this news to him? I was reeling.

"Dad... you know... about Jake's secret?" They both turned to look at me then, as if_ I_ was the strange one for being concerned about this. Seriously, did I wake up in the Twilight Zone or what?

"Honey, Sue told me on our honeymoon. Spouses of tribal elders are automatically allowed in on the secret," he explained, shrugging as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Jake just nodded – He could have damn well warned me.

"I had suspicions anyway, given all the wild animal sightings a few years back. Some said bears, some said wolves. Couldn't find much of a trace of either. Then there was Mr. Universe here, prancing round with his shirt off when it's 30 degrees out and emptying the fridge every time he visited," he said, narrowing his eyes at a smirking Jacob. "What with the stories Billy told all the time, and the weird, unexplained stuff happening around here, I put together some theories. Figured I was hitting the bottle a little too hard, though. That was until Sue came clean about all of this. "

Who was he and what had he done with Charlie?

"You're not freaked out?" I questioned.

"Oh, believe me, I was. And we still have to have a little talk about the fact you were engaged to a goddamn vampire, Bells," he said shaking his head. "I mean, it's like being an adrenaline junkie wouldn't be enough for you. You can't just poke the tiger, you gotta give it a kiss!" he spluttered, trying to rein in his temper towards me before remembering why he was here in the first place. "Look, I'm not going to yell at you while you're so weak – but I sure as hell can yell at your little fancy-wolf here! "

And just like that, they turned on each other again.

Jake wanted the men hunted down and dealt with brutally. I wasn't sure he'd go as far as killing them - I think that was still a punishment he reserved for the undead - but he assured Charlie that he knew plenty of ways to make a man suffer for his wrongdoings. It was extremely disconcerting to hear Jacob talk that way. I was grateful when Charlie slapped him upside the head and talked some sense into him. However, when Jake learned that the most Carl and Don Wilden were looking at was a ten-year revocation of their licenses, that's when the shouting really began. It was hopeless trying to interrupt before Nurse Daniels guilted both men by reminding them that they were disturbing my healing process. I got a sheepish apology from the two of them – Jake looked on the verge of tears. This was an expression I didn't want to have to get used to. If Jake was doing anything but smile, there was something very wrong in the world. It was like the planet was turning the wrong way. I guess when he smiles at me, it really does feel like sunrise.

The second day of my recovery was a little more productive. I was able to move around a little without Jake freaking out that I'd drop dead at the slightest instance. I also got the story of what had happened in the woods just after I'd taken the bullet. Embry, still phased, had gone for the rest of the guys, instructing them to catch the Wilden brothers and keep them detained until they could be dealt with. Jacob had been too worried about me to think of anything but getting me to the hospital. Of course now, they'd been turned over to the Forks Police department, following a threat by Charlie that if Jake ever wanted to marry his daughter, they'd have to let him deal with this legally.

If one good thing had come out of the whole ordeal, it was that Embry and Alex had begun talking again. Alex joked that I'd gone to extreme circumstances to get her talking to us, and Embry just couldn't stop smiling. He was constantly touching her, basking in her scent, and listening intently when she talked. He was a man in love and I was happy for them, but couldn't stop the nagging doubts I'd always had when Jake and I were first together. I made a mental note to ask Jake how Em had decided to resolve things when she wasn't around. This wasn't over yet, and I wasn't looking forward to watching her suffer if he did end up imprinting some day. Watching them together, they deserved much more than being torn apart by out-dated wolf magic.

She breezed into the room, holding her cell phone with an amused smile on her face as Jake insisted on spoon-feeding me vanilla pudding.

"Just had a really panicked phone call, Bella," she smirked. I gave her a confused look. Anyone who would be worried about me had already been by the hospital.

"From...?"

"Josh. He said he'd called your cell and left messages but just had this awful feeling that something was wrong," she informed. Jake struggled to muffle the growl that rose in his chest as he crushed the poor plastic spoon he was holding.

"Really? That's sweet of him. What did you tell him?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even. There were no romantic feelings for Josh left in me, but I couldn't help but be touched by his unrelenting friendship. Despite his wrongdoings, Josh was a good guy and I had come to value him as a person.

"Just that you'd managed to put yourself on the business end of a hunting rifle and lost a kidney, you know, usual Bella stuff," she joked. "He completely freaked out and wanted to come visit, but I told him I'd have to run it by you first."

One look at the pained expression on Jacob's face and I knew my answer.

"Don't think that's such a good idea, Alex," I said, letting my gaze flicker to where Jake was studying the remnants of my pudding cup intently. She nodded and smiled. She was getting such enjoyment out of Jake's jealousy that I couldn't help but think that she was happy to be in on the joke instead of the confused outsider for once. She shrugged innocently.

"That's what I figured, but I thought I'd tell you anyway. I promised you'd call as soon as you were feeling better." She smiled once more before leaving the room. Awkward silence descended between Jake and I.

"Guess the pudding was a bust," I quipped, hoping to diffuse the gloomy mood that had taken over him.

"Didn't realise you and that Josh guy were still so close," he muttered, refusing to meet my gaze.

"We're just friends now, Jake," I said truthfully.

"Friends who used to sleep together," he spat. I was momentarily struck dumb at that. I was pretty sure he hadn't known that Josh and I had been together that way. "Tell me, Bells, are there any other conquests I should worry about coming here to make sure your body's in full working order?" He was angry, and my mind was racing, trying to find a way to make him see that I hadn't been trying to hurt him. I didn't even have the opportunity to be hurt by what he said.

"I didn't realise you knew," was all I could say.

"Yeah well, when you tell your best friend, and then she tells her boyfriend without realising that we share thoughts, secrets are kind of null and void, Bells," he said, getting up to pace the room. There was a long, thoughtful pause before I could speak again.

"I'm not sorry, Jacob." He looked like he'd been slapped. "You were_ imprinted._ You were treating me like something you'd scraped off your shoe when you weren't drunkenly trying to come on to me like I was a cheap tramp. I figured you and I were done. It was something I wanted at the time, and in that moment it was right for me." I was proud that I managed to speak with conviction. "It just happened the once, that's all, and only with Josh," I said, taking a breath. "I was so_ pissed_ that he'd been lying to me the whole time when I found out the truth, but I don't have much of a right to hate him for that, Jake." He turned to look at me as if I'd sustained some head injury they hadn't detected when I was admitted to hospital.

"I can't be too pissed at him because I've come to realise that I was a liar too." The confused frown returned to his features. "I lied to Josh, Jake, because I didn't tell him that the whole night I spent in his arms, I was wishing they were yours."

My voice was cracking from the revelation. It was something I'd admitted to only myself when I thought of the whole ordeal. What Josh did was unforgivable, sure, but I hadn't been completely honest either. For three, blissful seconds when I woke up naked in Josh's bed, I was sure that the previous year had never happened, and I was back exactly where I knew I belonged.

"So yeah, you can be mad at him, mad at me, mad at the whole situation. I know you're jealous – I know how that feels because I feel it too, every time I think of what you probably did a thousand times when you were with Addie- "

"I never... we never. It didn't happen with her, Bells."

Now I felt like crap. Jake had been imprinted and he still hadn't slept with anyone all the time we were apart. Tears stung my eyes.

"I'm sorry Jake. I wish I had known, but I'm not taking it back, I refuse to have regrets about this," I croaked. This was all too much to deal with when I was still pretty stoned on pain meds. "But if you need any reassurance about where I want to be and who I want to be with, just look at me now. I jumped in front of a _bullet_ because I couldn't stand the thought of a world without you in it. I'm yours, Jake. I always have been. If what's happened does nothing else, please let it prove that."

He appeared to mull over what I'd said as he watched the rain hit the window of my room.

"I guess when a girl takes a bullet for you, no matter how ill-thought-out that was, you can't really worry about her running off with someone else," he finally said. I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure if he forgave me, but at least he knew how I really felt about him.

I was dumbstruck when I learned that the offending bullet had been lodged in Jake's side, barely affecting him. Sue had forced him to sit for a short medical exam and determined that he would be alright, health-wise, as long as it didn't move too much when he phased. That wasn't good enough for me. As soon as we could come up with a believable cover story as to why my boyfriend had – what looked like - a year-old bullet wound in his side, we were getting that thing taken out.

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><p>After a week in the hospital, I was finally allowed home. The house had been cleaned top -to-bottom by Sue and Alex, as a preventative measure against any infection I could pick up following my major surgery. True to Jake's word, the Pack were to be my round- the-clock nursing staff as Charlie and Sue had gone back to work, and Alex couldn't exactly carry me anywhere. They wouldn't allow me to walk in case I managed to trip over nothing and burst my stitches. Jacob himself had been first on 'Bella Duty', offering me sponge-baths and claiming kisses were better than any medicine I'd been prescribed. I couldn't find it in me to disagree. He wasn't getting anywhere with the sponge-bath idea though - I was determined that the first time Jake saw me naked, I wouldn't look like a recent war casualty.<p>

Quil showed up soon after Jake left to check on Billy. Alex hitched a ride to the Res since she and Embry had planned a lunch date so they could talk some things through. I wasn't sure how Em was going to explain anything to her, but I couldn't exactly ask her that without angering her with the reminder that we all still had this secret she wasn't privy to.

Quil sauntered in to my bedroom wearing a tiny nurse's hat, his face and stride all-business.

"Nurse Ateara, reporting for duty!" he announced. "I've been banned from offering sponge baths, but he didn't say anything about peeking at your unmentionables when you're in no position to stop me!" He made a beeline for my underwear drawer and started pulling out bras and panties while I hurtled pillows at them.

"Quil! Stop that! You're taking advantage of my weakened state. I could_ so_ be kicking your ass right now," I pouted. He gave me a disbelieving look. "Well, maybe not, but I could at least reach my phone to call Leah to do it..."

"Pfft, Leah doesn't love you. I tried to make her wear the hat when she's scheduled to come over but she wasn't having it." He looked positively put out and I had to laugh.

"Why exactly _are _you wearing that?"

"I just thought I'd look the part. It was part of Claire's Nurse Nancy play-set that she got for her last birthday. They don't make 'em werewolf sized," he frowned as he put my purple silky bra over his shirt and attempted to hook it. It didn't go past his huge shoulder blades.

"Aren't you meant to be helping me? Not going 'tranny' right here in my bedroom?" I asked. He took off the bra and studied the hooks.

"I can help later. Besides, I told Jake you're totally milking the whole 'getting shot' thing," he said absent-mindedly. He held up the bra and held it out with his thumb and forefinger. "How the hell do you put these things on without looking? Guess I'm just more used to taking 'em off..." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and I laughed again before wincing at the uncomfortable pull on my stitches. "Shit, did you pull a stitch? I was just kidding about not helping. Fuck, I'm getting my ass kicked for this..." he rambled, rushing to my side.

"No, it's fine, it just hurts when I laugh. Guess you weren't the best wolf to send over when that's the case," I smiled.

"I'm sorry my razor sharp wit is causing you pain, Bella," he winked. "But seriously, I know a few of the other guys have said it already, but what you did for us... protecting our secret like that. You're amazing, Swan," he said earnestly.

"I couldn't let them hurt Jake, and I guess I just panicked that if they got proof, it wouldn't end there," I answered honestly. I really hadn't thought it out. It was just instinctual.

"Still, if anything proves that imprinting is a crock of shit, it's you. It doesn't make sense that destiny chose that vindictive bitch for Jake, when she was the one to expose us, and you, his natural choice is the one helping keep our secret."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," I mused. "None of you guys liked her, did you?" He looked at me like I had two heads.

"Are you kidding me? She was a total nightmare when Jake wasn't around. All snide comments and fake innocence. She was convinced that Leah was trying to make a move on Jake and was about two seconds away from squatting on his leg and peeing on him," he said disgustedly. I snickered at the image. "She was totally high-maintenance too, always complaining that we were having_ another_ bonfire or _another_ day at the beach. Sorry our tiny reservation doesn't meet your entertainment needs, _princess_." He shook his head at the memory. "It would never have ended well. We're just all glad it ended early, even though she'd brought a mountain of crap on our heads."

That reminded me of something else.

"What are you guys going to do about all of this? I mean, Addie and her dad aren't getting away scot-free, right?" I asked. Quil just smirked and tapped his nose.

"Oh, we have plans for them," he said cryptically.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing 'Dirty Scrabble' after Quil had lifted me into the bathroom to take a shower and back out of it, his eyes squeezed shut in an out-of-character, gentlemanly fashion the whole time I was wrapped in a towel. He reminded me that Jake would know if he'd seen anything he shouldn't have, and although he would have 'loved to get a peek at the goods', a beat-down from his Alpha wasn't worth it.

Thankfully, Sue had prepared dinner for us, left in Tupperware for Quil to heat in the microwave, so I didn't have to find out the hard way if he could cook. I guessed his skills were somewhat similar to Jake's. _Shudder._

I was actually sad that he was leaving when I heard Embry's car pull up to leave Alex off. She was relieving him from duty for the night, and would thankfully be able to help me re-dress into my nightwear. I'd been too embarrassed to ask Quil to do it earlier and it had taken a good forty minutes to change after my shower. We said our goodbyes to Quil and Alex flounced down on my bed, giving me an excited smile.

"Sooo... something's going on at the Res," she said, eyes alight with conspiracy.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, today, Embry brought me on a tour, introducing me to anyone and everyone we met. It was a little weird, like he was showing me off or something, but he said it was necessary for what he had planned." I frowned at that. What the hell was he up to? "Then, when he was leaving me off, he told me to wear something nice on Saturday, that we were going to be meeting some pretty important people," she said. I was still lost.

"Important like... his mom, or someone else?" I asked, still unsure as to who it could be.

"At first I was confused and nervous, so he told me. Bella, he's taking me to meet The Council. I think he's presenting me as his girlfriend and he's going to tell me his secret!" she squeaked. My heart sank. There was no way Embry could do that.

"Sweetie, please don't get your hopes up, this isn't something he can do easily... there could be major consequences if he pisses these people off."

"He's not worried, Bella. Look, he told me that The Council has far more secrets than the one you guys are all keeping. He said all he has to do is remind them who he is, and that he's one of the biggest secrets of all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Embry found something out, something that people won't be impressed about when they find out that The Council tried to cover it up." I could tell she was waiting for me to figure it out, but was becoming impatient that I wasn't catching up fast enough. She took my hands in hers and looked me in the eyes. She studied me a long moment and then sighed.

"Bella, Embry knows who his father is."

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><p><strong>Monster AN: Sorry for the break in updates. I wasn't happy with the last chapter, so decided to take a little rest so I could write something I was happy with this time. I was intending to be gone longer, but inspiration struck today so I took advantage.**

**I'll be honest, the last part of this chapter (Alex and Bella's discussion) just happened. I had something else planned, and I'll be using that as well but I just thought Embry should have more than one weapon in his arsenal when he takes on the Elders. A good Beta would never go into battle under-prepared.**

**How was Jake and Bella's Josh talk? It's about time they addressed some stuff to do with him. Now there are no secrets when they finally do 'get it on'.**

**Hope this clarified some stuff from the shooting for you. I researched some Washington state law on hunting accidents and found that the main punishment (if you can prove negligencewas involved) is a ten year revocation of a hunting license (three years if not negligent). Apologies if this is inaccurate - I'm from Ireland and can only look this stuff up.**

**This chapter is dedicated to**** leelator****, whose review reminded me that there was so much more that I owed my readers, and whose messages helped me figure out what wasn't working in the story. Thanks so much for your advice and input. If this chapter was any better at all, it was down to you! [Also want to pimp out her story, How To Seduce A Werewolf – not that it needs pimping, but if you like sexual tension, great plot and the idea that The Pack are freakin' models and college students and still phasing, please go read it.]**

**It's also dedicated to one of my best friends, Ruth, who let me bounce ideas and dialogue off of her to figure out what worked.**

**Thoughts?**


	27. Brotherhood

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Seven: Brotherhood<strong>

**Jacob POV**

Quil keeps telling me I should write a rap song about the time someone tried to pop a cap in my girl. He's not the ideal candidate for Bella duty today but everyone else is either on patrol or dealing with personal stuff. I'd find it pretty funny if my stomach didn't do this horrible _twist_ every time I thought about what happened. I could have lost her, I mean, really lost her. It was bad enough when Cullen was trying to steal her away and turn her into a freakin' leech, but even then, at least I could still have talked to her if I just held my breath and didn't stand too close.

What the fuck am I saying? Bella as a vamp? Okay, that's fucked up. I mean, why would I even be thinking this again? It was once a future I really had to consider. If my luck had been any worse I would have had to deal with her becoming a member of Forks' own Addams Family and see her and Edward cosied up like two ice sculptures trying to waltz. Eugh. They probably would have ended up adopting some poor kid I'd have to keep an eye on just so they didn't snap some day and kill the poor thing. Seriously, I love Bella with all my heart, but she has to have been all kinds of messed up to have ever found that existence attractive.

I think that's why I got so jealous over that Josh guy. I mean, the one thing I always had over Deadward was my heartbeat, my warmth and my soul. I could give Bells babies and we could actually sleep in each other's arms and we could grow old together. But Josh was human. He was exactly what Bella deserved, and I guess a part of me knew that human was better than furry assassin any day of the week.

It's not as if she'd get shot in a hunting accident with _him_ around.

Ugh, I knew I was really laying the blame on myself for this one, but I couldn't get the image of her on the forest floor out of my head. Everything happened so damn fast and she could have been taken from me before I'd even ran out from our little hiding place in the trees. I remember the hunters just standing there, staring at her in shock as I scooped her up in my arms. They didn't even move to help, the fuckers. I was glad that Embry had still been phased. At least he could come deal with them while I concentrated on Bella.

Her little body felt so cold and broken in my arms. I'm trying so desperately to forget that feeling, but it's there every time I close my eyes. I have to keep touching her just to reassure myself that she's okay. The smell of her blood in my nostrils is just starting to dissipate, a whole week later. It still makes me feel sick. I love Bella's scent, but not when it represents the very life flowing out of her veins. Her life is my life.

Shut up, I'm in love – you're allowed to be lame when you're in love. The weird thing was, ever since the shooting, my wolf was calmer. His thoughts were no longer about claiming Bella for our own. Sure, I still wanted to put her in my car and drive to the middle of nowhere for an extended hotel stay, but it was like he'd been reassured that she wasn't going to leave us. I had this new... contentment where she was concerned, and after our talk at the hospital regarding Josh, my only worry now was protecting her. Bella was my mate, we'd chosen her ourselves and nobody was taking her away, which is why I needed to deal with the trigger-happy douche-bags myself.

Charlie says the Wilden buttholes admitted wholeheartedly to being negligent with their weapons and they agreed to take whatever punishment the law deemed appropriate. I don't think their licenses being taken away is quite enough, but I have to respect his job – he's not very happy that I let Bells get shot.( Like it was intentional or something?) It took some convincing, but the Chief finally relented and told me where those two clowns are staying. I had to promise to keep my teeth and claws to myself, but he agreed that I do have a special interest in interviewing them – if these guys have proof of our secret, the whole shit-storm is just beginning. I'm getting an hour alone with those two before they disappear. I have a few questions of my own.

Trouble is, when you're phased with Leah, and she thinks you're going to do something stupid, it's kind of hard to shake her off. After my run with Em that morning, I had to deal with one crisis at a time.

_I'm coming with you. No way am I letting you around people who harmed Bella when you're still a bundle of nervous energy._

_Seriously, Leah, it's fine. I just want to find out what they know. I won't hurt them._

_Yeah, well forgive me for not having a whole lot of trust in you when you're thinking with your dick. Anything to do with girls and it's like your brain takes a vacation._

I didn't really have a comeback to that – it was my desperation to make things work with Addie that got us into this mess in the first place.

_Fine, but you're just there as a precaution. I'm handling this. I need to do something to try clean up the crap that's raining down on us._

_You'll hardly know I'm there, I promise._

_Sure, sure. Leah playing the silent observer. That'll be the day._

_Watch it, Jake, or I'll send Paul along instead._

The hunters picked the cheapest, scummiest motel in town, of course. Leah actually had her uses when she charmed the guys' room number from the teenage guy on the front desk. It was always weird to be reminded that Leah was a chick. I mean, I used to think she was beautiful, but after the months of hell she put The Pack through when Sam was Alpha, it was kind of hard to see her as anything other than a bitchy older sister. I mean that in the most affectionate way possible.

I banged on their door, commanding them to open up. I could hear their hearts racing and they deliberated whether to pretend there was no-one inside or not. I banged again.

"I can hear you guys moving around in there, assholes. Open the fucking door!" A fumble was heard with the lock on the other side and the door opened a crack. The one who didn't shoot Bella poked his head out, and his eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets when he saw me.

"H-holy shit, man, what are you doing here?" he stammered.

"I've come to pay you guys a visit. Figured the very least you owe me is a little conversation considering you nearly killed my fucking girlfriend," I sneered. An audible gulp was heard from both men.

"Look, mister, we're real sorry about what happened to your girl. We told the police it was an accident, we thought she was something else and she kind of came out of nowhere – you both did," Carl said, as I shoved my way past his brother into the room. The place was a pig sty, and Leah had a genuine look of disgust on her face as she leaned against the door frame, arms folded and took in her surroundings. It smelled like sweat, beer and day-old take-out. They both looked at her in puzzlement as she scowled at them.

"I'm just here to make sure Jakey-boy doesn't snap and kill you both for costing his girlfriend a kidney. You guys better play nice or I might forget why that is," she taunted. They both flopped down on the bed obediently as I pulled over a small wooden chair and sat down facing the back of it.

"Just need to ask you two a few questions; We're uh... environmental conservationists. When we're done, you can both be on your merry way to go stink up some other shit hole far away from here," I said calmly. I had them exactly where I wanted them – scared and compliant. They both nodded enthusiastically.

"Whatever you want, man. You'll get no trouble from us." I nodded approvingly.

"Alright, first thing's first. Why were you guys hunting here? Honest answers, please." They both looked to each other for a beat before Carl nudged Don to answer.

"My brother and I, well... ever since we were kids, we've been really into crypto-zoology," he began, and I shot Leah a confused frown as she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"He means they're nutjobs who believe in myths like Bigfoot and The Lock Ness Monster," she clarified.

"Actually, we haven't been on a Nessie hunt yet, we're planning that for my birthday next October," Don supplied._ Nessie_? These idiots had a nickname for the Loch Ness Monster, and a pretty fucking stupid one at that. If the monster was even real, why the fuck would it want to be called 'Nessie'?

"What does that have to do with Forks? Pretty sure Bigfoot hasn't paid any visits here yet," I sneered. I knew where they were going with this, but we had to play dumb.

"Well, our favourite website is Weekly World News – ever since the magazine was discontinued," he answered, and they both bowed their heads reverently. _Idiots. _"Anyway, a few weeks ago, a video clip was posted on the site of this huge wolf – I mean enormous. It was like the size of a Clydestale. The uploader said it was taken on the outskirts of the Olympic Forest here in Washington." Both men's eyes widened in memory and they nodded enthusiastically. _Fuck._

"What exactly was in this video?" I asked carefully. It seemed to mean something that they hadn't recognised me from it, but I had to be sure. Don turned to Carl and nudged him to get up.

"Show him," he said, as his brother cautiously walked over to an ancient-looking laptop. After a few minutes of fumbling round, he turned the screen to face me. Leah finally came over to stand beside me, curious to see the infamous evidence of our secret. The video was thirty seconds long – shorter than I was sure Addie had been filming for, and thankfully began after I'd phased. I cringed as I watched myself yip enthusiastically in reply to whatever questions she asked before rolling over and pawing the air. Leah snorted and shook her head disapprovingly. The video cut out just after that. _I'm such a fucking moron._

"So you guys came all the way out here, for this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from showing the nervous feeling coiling in the pit of my stomach. "It doesn't even look real. This could all be a trick of perspective – those trees could be miles away." I was clutching at straws, but there was no way I could acknowledge that it was genuine.

"We don't live too far from here and thought it was too exciting to pass up. Usually we go looking for Bigfoot every summer, but giant wolves? With actual video evidence? It's like we struck gold!"

Leah pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"You two really are idiots. You know everything Weekly World News publishes is a hoax, right?" she asked. I gave her a confused look before she clarified that Seth had been a fan up until he was old enough to stop believing in fairy tales.

"A hoax is just a factual account waiting to be proven," Don said proudly.

"Yeah, well, all you guys have proven is that a bullet can slice through a skinny white chick like butter," Leah sneered. They hung their heads in shame.

"I'm really sorry about that," Carl said morosely. "I swear if I'd known what would happen I would have hesitated, but we were so sure we heard something. It was like growling, I guess it could have been anything."

"You're damn right you're sorry. You're lucky Bella's okay or this would have been a much shorter conversation." They both nodded in acknowledgement.

"Seriously, we'll cover all her medical expenses and I'll even donate a kidney if she needs it. We never meant to hurt anyone."

"We don't need anything from you. Bells doesn't even want to sue you guys because she's already forgiven you. Just do the world a favour and stop this stupid obsession you have. It's a wonder you guys were cleared for gun licenses in the first place," I snarled. I couldn't say the real reason Bella wouldn't sue – she didn't want the chance that it could bring more attention to the 'Giant Wolves of the Olympic Peninsula' myth. Hopefully it would stay a 'myth' that was soon forgotten.

"Honestly, we just want to get back home and go back to our lives. We don't want to risk hurting anyone ever again." I nodded at that. This would be the most convenient outcome for both parties.

"Fine. The sooner we see the back of you both, the better," I sighed. "One last question, though – it's important." They both nodded and anticipated whatever was coming.

"Are there any more of you freaks coming here to try to glimpse the wolves? I mean, do we have to put a ban on hunting in the area?"

"Deputy Rivers asked the same thing. Honestly, we don't think so. The video wasn't that popular, and most people called it out as a fake or camera trickery as soon as they saw it. It just attracted us because we live outside Seattle. It's not often something like that pops up from our own state," Don said. It wasn't perfect, but what Leah said about it coming from a less-than-reliable news source made me feel better. I nodded and got up from the chair to leave, as Leah put a hand on my chest to halt me.

"One last thing, geniuses. Any idea who uploaded the video?" They both looked at her blankly. "In case we need to get it taken down. Don't need a repeat of this shit." They shook their heads.

"No idea, the uploader was a new member of the site, and they haven't posted anything else. You could always ask the administrators, though," Don said. Leah nodded and turned to leave.

"We'll get on that, thanks. Pretty sure we know where it came from anyway," she said, shooting me a knowing look. "Got plenty of pranksters around here good with computers."

Of course, Colin or Brady would be able to hack into the site and get rid of the video. About time those pups came in handy.

"Sorry again, guys, really. If there's anything Miss Swan needs, just let us know," Carl said guiltily. I just snorted as I walked out the door and slammed it behind me.

Next on my list – The Pendletons. Someone needs to teach them how to keep a promise.

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><p><strong>Embry POV <strong>

I couldn't believe my mom actually came through for once. After the initial chewing out I got for disappearing for three days and not calling, plus her having to deal with Alex's phone calls, she finally calmed down and asked what had happened. Of course, I couldn't tell her – the secret was on tenterhooks already and if I was going to tell anyone, it would be Alex. I just needed something to convince The Council to let me. I gave her a loose story about the Elders disapproving that I was dating a white girl who could take me out of state and were trying to force me to break up with her. She knew that I was part of an esteemed 'Junior Council', set up by Sam Uley as a 'youth project' on the reservation. She'd initially been proud that I'd finally been accepted into the fold, but this news had really gotten her hackles up.

(_The Previous Night_)

"Those hopped up assholes think they can run our lives? My son has done great work for the reservation and they're trying to tell you who you can be with," she spat. I didn't know she held such contempt for The Council, but I was sensing there was a lot I didn't know about my mom. "Look, Embry, I don't know this Alex girl but she seems like a good sort and if you think she's good enough for you, then that's good enough for me. You always were a good judge of character," she said as she cupped my cheek affectionately. I just stared at her with a surprised look on my face.

"Didn't realise you felt that way, mom," I breathed.

"Yeah well, they already messed with my life enough, I'll be damned if they're going to do it to my only son. You've always made smart decisions and you've picked some great friends in Quil and Jacob. You deserve to chose how to live your life," she said fondly. "How come they don't feel the same way about Jacob and the Swan girl?" She was eyeing me closely, trying to find any indication of a lie. _Crap, hadn't thought of that._

"Um.. not sure, I think it's because Charlie's Billy's best friend. Guess they know Bella's tied to Forks and they know her background. Plus with Jake being future Chief, they can't really tell him what to do forever." I hated that I'd gotten so good at lying to the women in my life. She nodded and I sighed in relief that she'd bought it. There was a long, thoughtful pause before she turned to me again and looked right into my eyes.

"Tell me, sweetie, does Alex really mean that much to you? I mean that you'd risk pissing off the Elders to keep her?" she asked. I looked her dead in the eyes as I answered.

"She's it for me, mom. I've never felt this way about anyone. She understands me without even trying. She makes me laugh. She calls me out on my bullshit. She's strong-willed, independent, and can seem like a real tough cookie – but she's got this caring side to her too that shows me she'll make a great mom some day. She's perfect in every way and I can't stand the thought of going through the rest of my life without her." I meant every single word. Mom's face broke into a wide smile and she pulled me close in a motherly hug.

"I'm so happy for you, son. Truly I am. I'm dying to meet this girl, instead of having you sneak her in and out of the house when you think I'm sleeping," she said teasingly. I blushed at that – I'd been so sure she'd been asleep, I guess my game was off when Alex was around.

"I...uh, sorry, mom. You and I haven't been getting along the best lately; I didn't want to chance having an argument in front of her."

"I would never embarrass you that way, Embry. Have a little more faith in me than that," she admonished. I couldn't help feeling guilty. "If you really want to take on The Council about her, then I think there's something that can make them sit up and take notice." My curiosity was piqued instantly. I'd had a few ideas to throw at them, but nothing concrete that would help me coerce them into letting me come clean to Alex. She suddenly looked really nervous and shifted around in her seat.

"Embry, I know you've always wanted me to tell you the truth about your father... but I guess I felt like we had too much to lose," she began. She sounded so dejected; I took her hand and warmed it in my own. "I told you that it was a man back at the Makah reservation – someone who wouldn't own up to the responsibility of supporting a son. I'm sorry, but that wasn't true." I couldn't even look shocked. Ever since I'd phased, the vast pool of possible dads had been reduced to four. I'd been dying to confront her about it, but couldn't do that without revealing how I came to know who the suspects were. I didn't say anything now in case she'd change her mind and stop talking.

"When I was pregnant, I moved here because your dad was Quileute. I thought if he had to see you every day, he'd eventually own up to you and start acting like a man," she said irritatedly. "As you know, that wasn't to be. When I got here, I realised that he was married. He had a wonderful wife who was even pregnant at the time as well. She wasn't as far along as I was, which made me sick, knowing that he'd been with both of us so close together, but it showed me that he had no reason to come clean to her or the tribe about me or you. She was even having a son – he'd have his own legitimate son and we were just a nuisance trying to infringe on that." She shook her head disgustedly.

"Soon after you were born, He came to see you, and I thought there was hope. He even brought you gifts and spent time with you every week so I could run errands. Once his son was born, that all changed. I got so bitter that he'd abandon you like that – you deserved his love just as much as his other son did. It wasn't fair. I went to the council and begged them to force him to come clean, but they were having none of it. They even offered me money to leave, and threatened that I'd be disgraced as a liar if I ever went public with your paternity. Apparently your father's surname was more important than you growing up with the truth."

I sat in shock as everything came out. I couldn't' believe how much crap my mom had gone through just for having me. I felt a tinge of guilt before I pushed it down. It wasn't my fault I was born under such circumstances – just as it wasn't my mom's fault she fell for a man and later found out he was married. There was something else, though. I had a brother - a real, flesh and blood brother I'd probably been seeing every day at school and been none the wiser. He was in my Pack, for fucks sake! A new stab of anger for my faceless dad rose up in my chest. How dare he leave her to go through this alone? How dare he deprive me of a brother and of a family when I'd grown up as the outcast, bastard of the Res? It was such a dick move to do that, regardless of what it would have cost him.

"Mom, won't they still discredit you if you tell anyone? I can find another way to do this. I don't want you forced out of your home," I said, She just shook her head stubbornly.

"Embry, I'm done pandering to their wishes. Something happened when you were little and I had to accept that the secret was mine to keep now – it would never be outed by your father. I'm done with the secrets, darling. If it means you get the happiness I want for you, I'll take whatever they have to throw at me."

I was dumbstruck as she got up to pour herself a large glass of wine. She walked over to the kitchen window and stared out into the darkness. The wave of love and admiration for my amazing mom soon gave way to nerves. Tonight was the night – I'd finally know who my father was. Eighteen years of being in the dark had boiled down to this moment. My wolf was struggling to stay in my skin due to my discomfort.

My mom took a deep breath before turning around and telling me.

I think I lasted ten whole seconds before I threw up in the kitchen sink.

I told her I had to get out and clear my head before I ran out the door and phased on the fly. Seemed like I'd been doing a lot of that lately. Jared was on patrol and I immediately ordered him to phase out before he could see what I'd just learned. I ran full speed into the forest, willing myself to just keep breathing and concentrating on propelling my paws further into the earth. I just had to run. Instinct took over rational thought as I let the weight of the revelation weigh down on me.

It was daylight the next morning before Jacob phased in along with me.

_Em, are you alright? Jared said you'd taken off like a bullet out of the Reservation last night. He was unsure whether to phase back in or not._

I couldn't even form words to project to him, instead, just showing him what my mom had told me. They'd all know soon enough anyway. Jake's mind was reeling like mine had been, and he was struggling to find something to say.

_Fuck._

_Yeah._

_I mean, really... fuck._

_I know._

_Have you talked to him?_

_I just phased and ran when I found out, Jake, I haven't had a chance._

_Yeah, of course. It's just. Whoa._

_I know._

_Are you okay?_

_Pretty messed up, but I knew I always would be if I found out the truth. Is he at home?_

_No, he just left. I should have figured you hadn't seen him yet, he was fine when I talked to him this morning._

_Okay._

_Fuck._

_You said that, Jake._

_I know, it's just a lot to take in, you know?_

_Tell me about it._

_Why didn't you call me?_

_You were with Bella, and... well I haven't really been thinking straight since I found out._

_Of course, sorry._

'_S okay._

_When are you going to talk to him?_

_When he gets back, I suppose. I just need some time to... adjust first._

_Yeah. Take all the time you need, man. I'll cancel the other patrols today so you can be alone._

_Thanks._

_Oh, shit, wait... Alex is at your house. She hitched a ride with me from Bella's. Want me to take her home?_

A feeling of comfort at the prospect of seeing Alex passed over me and I knew I had to be with her.

_No. I think... I think I need her right now. If I just spend the day patrolling, I might not come back for a while._

Images of the three days I went off alone came into Jake's mind and I felt a sting of guilt for putting Alex and my Pack through all of that.

_Sure, sure. I won't cancel patrols then. Maybe you should go home now though – your mom's already left for work and Alex is there alone._

My protective instinct kicked in at the possibility of my girl being all by herself. I knew what I had to do. Alex would never be left unprotected again. I just had to use this new information to my advantage. The Council had another thing coming if they thought I was going to give her up – I'd given up enough for the good of the Res.

_I'm going to her now. Thanks, Jake. I don't know what I'd do without you guys sometimes._

_No need to thank me, just do what you have to do, brother._

Now was the time to do something just for me. If I couldn't have Alex, then they were losing a wolf.

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><p><strong>AN: So, a little more light is shed on the hunting fiasco. Are we all clear on what happened? Hope you can see that the Wilden brothers are just bumbling idiots who meant no harm. You can thank leelator once again for helping me clarify the details. Thanks, lady!**

**The video wasn't as big a deal as first thought, but they still have to nip this thing in the bud. Clearly the Pendletons didn't take Jake's threat seriously. It's just pure luck that the only people interested in it was a tabloid website...**

**Embry's dad will be revealed at the council meeting, but there have been quite a few clues in this chapter. I'm sure most of you will figure it out, but you may be wrong!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it – This chapter was strangely fun to write. I love dropping hints!**


	28. Some Assembly Required

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Eight: Some Assembly Required<strong>

**Bella POV**

The drive to the reservation that Saturday was tense. It wasn't like Jake and I were fighting, but I knew he had so much on his mind, it was better to just let him think. The revelation of Embry's dad had put us all in a tailspin, and Jake was having a hard time keeping things from Billy. As he put it, even though Billy was his dad, he was also an Elder, and for the moment, it was The Pack against them. I reached across the seat of the Rabbit and squeezed his hand.

"You're doing the right thing, Jake." I seemed to break him out of his deep thought and he offered me a weak shadow of his smile.

"I know, it's just... I've never kept anything from my dad before. I guess he's kept a lot from us over the years, though," he said bitterly.

"I'm sure he had his reasons – you know as well as I do that your dad is honourable; he always does what's right in the end."

"Tell that to Embry. You'd think in all the years he spent coming over to my house, he could have at least dropped a hint."

"Just... give him the benefit of the doubt. We've only heard one side of the story."

"Yeah, well, his side better be damn well good."

We drove past the little turn-off to Jacob's house and continued on to the hall where Sue and Charlie's wedding had been held. It looked entirely different, now, without the decorations and general vivacity it had the last time I'd seen it. Various pack members were gathered outside in little groups, talking amongst themselves. The mood was decidedly somber. Embry and Alex weren't here yet, and I noticed that no imprints were present.

"Why did Embry want me to come tonight? I mean, apart from moral support for Alex," I enquired. Jake just gave me a knowing look and ran his hand through my hair lovingly.

"You're an important part of his convincing argument. Come on, I'll carry you inside."

"Jake, I can walk fine. My stitches will be out in a few more days. Sue said I'm healing really well." He shot me a pleading look and I knew my argument was futile. "Fine, but this is the last day you're carrying me anywhere." He carried me bridal styled towards the front door of the hall, and the pack took it as their queue to follow us inside. The Elders were already gathered behind an official-looking podium, a look of nervous anticipation on each of their faces. I understood Jake's guilt when I caught site of Sue and Billy. Regardless of their part in this whole mess, they were still both like surrogate parents to me. They sat together on the far right, as Old Quil and Sam's older cousin, Thomas Uley took up the other two seats. They looked both official and imposing, and I couldn't help but be intimidated by the seriousness of the situation. It felt like a trial was about to go underway – and Embry was the accused. Thomas stood to speak once everyone was seated.

"Welcome, everyone. We are gathered here this evening at the request of your Alpha, Jacob Ephraim Black to discuss Pack matters. Jake, if you wouldn't mind opening up proceedings and informing us as to the mysterious subject of today's meeting?" Jake cleared his throat and stood. He looked every bit the tall, regal warrior as he dwarfed every other person in the room.

"I requested this meeting today on behalf of my Beta, Embry Call. He hasn't arrived yet, so I'd like to refrain from getting into that before he gets here," he said officially. Just then, the door to our backs opened and Embry strode in holding Alex's hand. Old Quil immediately stood to object.

"He brings an outsider into a council meeting? What disrespect is this, young Beta?" he fumed. Embry didn't say a word until he had led Alex into the pew beside me and made sure she was seated comfortably. He stood proudly to Jacob's right and cleared his throat.

"I apologise for being late, Council, but I will not apologise for bringing her here. I requested this gathering of my Alpha and friend so that we may discuss her role in my life. The subject of this meeting is to allow me to reveal the tribal secret to my chosen mate, Alexandria Morgan." A shocked silence greeted him from the Elders, as the rest of the pack simply looked on in support. It was Billy's turn to speak then, and all eyes turned to their Chief.

"Embry, you know better than anyone that it is an impossible request you put to us. Your own mother hasn't even been informed of your secret, and I just ask that Ms. Morgan step outside so we can discuss matters freely." Embry shook his head adamantly.

"Billy, I'm sorry, but I'm done keeping secrets from her. If I am to build a future with Alex, I want her to be fully disclosed as to the risks involved with being tied to one of us." Old Quil spluttered in disbelief.

"She is an outsider! A white woman at that, and you have not imprinted on her. What right has she to know our business?" Alex shot me a confused look at the mention of imprinting. I couldn't imagine how strange this all sounded to her

"Do you have the same opinion of our Alpha's mate? Perhaps if someone tried to shoot Alex, you'd be a little more accepting of her," Embry retorted. I couldn't help the blush that rose in my cheeks as all eyes turned to me. I suddenly realised the purpose of my presence here. Embry was using me as an example of a non-imprinted mate. "Bella Swan has gone above and beyond to help protect our secret. She's not an imprint – she's not even Quileute, yet you all seemed to think it was perfectly fine for her to take a bullet in the name of our tribe and she is still healing from it. This whole mess was caused by an imprint. Addie Pendleton should have been the ultimate mate for our Alpha, instead she has brought nothing but pain and the threat of exposure to us. How can you still use imprinting as the only relationship worthy of us? Your theories are null and void as far as I'm concerned." Old Quil's face turned red in anger that Embry would talk to him that way.

"Bella Swan is the exception. Her father has been nothing but a faithful ally to our tribe, and now he has married Sue Clearwater, he has become part of it. Even if that hadn't happened, the spirits have spoken on her behalf." A confused murmuring rose up in the room before Billy silenced everyone.

"Quil, what are you referring to? Bella Swan was chosen as mate by my son; the spirits had nothing to do with their pairing." Jake shot me a confused frown, which I returned, as we wondered what the hell Old Quil was talking about. He sighed in frustration, like he was above having to explain such complicated matters to mere mortals.

"The Alpha and I discussed before how he was able to fight his imprint to the Pendleton girl," he began, and Jake nodded in agreement.

"Old Quil took a spirit walk, and was told by The Great Wolf that I had chosen Bella to be mine from such a young age, that I had offered her a part of my soul. Bella owned a part of me that I couldn't give away to an imprint. That's why the bond didn't take, and it was broken without damage to my wolf," Jake supplied. Alex was looking around the room like we were all insane. I guess this talk of spirits and wolves was getting a little too weird, even for someone as accepting as her.

"That is the truth. However, since the Alpha's mate offered up her life in place of his, the broken part of his soul has now been replaced with a part of hers. It is easy to see that the Alpha is whole again, and they are now bonded irrevocably. It is as a man-made imprint would be." Jake's face cracked into a beaming smile as he scooped me up into his arms and spun me around. I was too shocked to even respond. Jake and I were, for all intents and purposes, an imprinted couple.

"I knew something was different, sweetie! I felt this contentment wash over me ever since the shooting. The wolf knew you were mine!" he exclaimed, and I caught sight of approving smiles coming our way from The Pack, Billy and Sue. Jake covered my face in kisses and indulged in my scent for a beat. I couldn't believe that what we'd always wanted had finally happened for us. I felt tears come to my eyes as my heart swelled with love and pride.

I was Jake's and he was mine and nothing in the world could ever tear us apart. Even more than that, it felt more special because _we _had chosen each other. There was no compulsion; I didn't have to feel that Jake was just with me because his wolf told him to be. It was more than I could have ever dreamed. I pressed my lips to his in a loving, passionate kiss.

It seemed Alex had finally had enough of being kept in the dark, and stood up to speak.

"Look, I have no idea what's going on here, and I have a feeling something great has happened for Bella and Jake," she said, gesturing towards us. "That's great for you two, I guess, but – not to be rude, what the hell does all of this have to do with me?" Jake set me down again beside Alex and I squeezed her hand as I stood beside her.

"Just let Embry handle this," I soothed, and she shot me a frustrated glare. Embry cleared his throat to speak again.

"I'm happy that my Alpha has gotten his happy ending, but my point still stands – he chose Bella for himself, and she has been better for him than his own imprint was. I want to be extended the same courtesy. I chose Alex for my own. I know I won't imprint. How I feel about her won't go away. When we first became what we are, you all told us that our emotions ran higher and were more intense than those of a mere human. You have to understand that this isn't some teen romance for me. She's the one."

"Embry, how do you know you won't imprint," Sue enquired curiously. "The majority of your... colleagues have, why would you be any different?"

"I haven't come here on a whim, Sue, all due respect. When I realised how deep my feelings for Alex were, I did a lot of soul-searching. Alone in the forest, I thought over everything that made me who I am. Before my brothers imprinted, they described a feeling of being imbalanced, of feeling like there was a part of them that still required some assembly."

Seth snorted softly at that, reminding me of his presence for the first time in the meeting. "Leave it to Em to make an Avengers reference in a Council meeting," he muttered to Jared, who smirked in their Beta's direction.

"Seth, you will not speak out of turn during official meetings," she admonished. Embry ignored the joke and continued.

"I've never felt that way, if anything, I feel like I know who exactly who I am and I know that Alex is the one for me. She doesn't complete me, she complements the person I've become," he clarified. "There's something else. All of the imprinted wolves are full-blood Quileute. As you are all aware, my mother is from the Makah reservation. If imprinting is about continuing the best possible Quileute bloodline, I'm already never going to do that. Genetically speaking, there's probably a large chance any children I have won't even phase." A shocked silence greeted his words. He really had done his homework. A swell of pride ran through me towards my friend. I dared anyone to underestimate Embry again. The Council appeared to mull over what he'd said before Old Quil spoke up again.

"Be that as it may, young Beta, the point still stands that this girls is an outsider, and she cannot be trusted with our secrets."

"You all assume that, because she isn't Quileute, she will ultimately betray us. Tell me, Mr. Ateara, is that the same view you all held of my mother when you blackmailed her into silence?" he spat. No-one said anything as we let that jibe sink in. I couldn't believe he'd actually come out and said it.

"I'm not sure I know what you're insinuating, Mr. Call," old Quil spluttered.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean,_ grandfather,_" was the reply. The Council members' jaws slackened in unison. "The people who sit before us today as our Elders have all kept the secret of my father's identity, and even went so far as to blackmail a single mother into silence by threatening her with disgrace and exclusion," he said, turning to his pack. "I ask you, brothers, to please stand with me and put a stop to the secrets and lies that are rife on this Reservation. If not publicly, at least between The Pack and our Elders. If we are out there every night, putting our asses on the line for you protection, the least we deserve is some god damn honesty!" he yelled, slamming his fist on the back of the pew in front of him. "My mother was prepared to take this secret to her grave, since my father died before he had the stones to come clean to anyone." He shot Quil and apologetic look for speaking so coldly against their shared parent. Quil seemed firmly in Embry's corner, though, and just nodded approvingly. I could sense the brotherly bond that already existed between the two had only been strengthened in the last few days. Quil stood to speak.

"If I may weigh in – Embry is right. You guys expect us to follow orders without question and adhere to your codes and by-laws. Yeah, well, a trust has been broken here. Grandfather, if you expect us to respect your authority ever again, I ask you to cut the shit – pardon my French – and acknowledge Embry as the grandson you know he truly is." Old Quil just gaped at his grandson. I had a feeling it was the first time Quil had really stood up to him on any matter. The rest of the pack had moved to stand as Quil spoke. It was a silent show of solidarity for their brothers that warmed my heart.

"Embry, it was a different time, back then. We couldn't let our respected name be blackened by the existence of an illegitimate child. My son made some poor decisions, but he had a bright future within this tribe. He was meant for great things before he was taken from us in the accident. After his death, it hurt our family too much to disrespect a dead man's wishes. I hope you can learn to understand why things happened as they did," the old man croaked.

"I'm not going to let myself get caught up in your delusions of why what you all did was justified. As far as I'm concerned, I'm still a Call, the only difference is that I've gained a real brother. I'm not going to impose myself on your perfect little family, but Quil has always treated me as kin, and to him I'm grateful for that. I'm proud to acknowledge him as the brother he always has been to me. The rest of you, though, can go screw yourselves," he spat, before adding "Pardon my French" with a smirk at Quil, who beamed approvingly. The room just stood in silence as we watched the events play out. The Pack had all learned the identity of Embry's father in the past few days, and had allowed the brothers time to bond together and discuss the changes in their relationship. It was apparent to everyone, though, that their bond was deep and they were ecstatic to have found out the truth, despite the feeling of betrayal that accompanied it. Both having grown up as only children, Embry and Quil now had each other. They had an uncle to their future kids and a lifelong kinship that really could never be broken. Jake stood to speak again on behalf of his Beta.

"I think we all learned a lot about each other today," he said scathingly. "Embry has pled his case and as his Alpha, I for one recommend that his request be granted."

"All due respect, Alpha, but you're not exactly known for making good decisions," Thomas spoke up.

"I have paid for my indiscretions, already, Thomas, and shall be making the journey to visit the Pendletons shortly, once I'm satisfied that my Beta is being duly rewarded for his service to his Pack and his tribe. Regardless, it would be foolish of The Council to make him suffer for my wrongdoings. I think after what The Council did to Embry and his mother, it is the least they can do to allow him to choose his own mate. And all due respect, _Elder_, but when you start turning into a wolf in order to protect your tribe from the threat of vampires, then I'll start taking your comments on board." He shot a look to Alex, who was visibly paling at what he'd just revealed.

"Oops, did I say that in front of the outsider?" he chimed in mock innocence. A boom of laughter echoed around The Pack, along with a succession of whoops and hollers, cheering on Jake's antics. Embry gave him a grateful smile and they shared a manly hug, complete with pats on the back. Billy looked at Jacob, and I could tell he was trying his best to hide the smirk colouring his features.

"Well, I guess_ that_ little slip of the tongue renders our vote irrelevant," he said. "Regardless, I would like to say that my decision would have been to grant Embry permission to share his secret with Ms. Morgan," he said good naturedly. Sue nodded beside him.

"I would have seconded the motion," she confessed.

"It would be only right that I thirded it," Old Quil answered, earning him a smile from Quil. Thomas Uley just shook his head in disgust.

"What a circus this turned out to be. Do us a favour, Alpha, and try not to treat Council meetings as a forum for your dramatics in future," he chided.

"I will when you all start making the right decision," Jake shot back. The meeting was dismissed and Sue and Billy made their way to Alex and Embry, where he was holding her hands and promising to explain everything once they were alone.

"Embry, son, I would just like to say that I wasn't a member of the council that blackmailed your mother. It was my father, William, who was a part of that. When I took my seat after his death, I had to swear that I could uphold the previous members' decisions, regardless of my personal feelings. Sue did the very same after Harry passed." he revealed. Embry gave him a shocked look before smiling at him softly.

"Thanks, Billy. I guess I should have known that you wouldn't deliberately keep something like that from me," he replied. "I thought for a while that it was you, and I was so hurt and mad that you wouldn't admit to being my dad that I kind of hated you." Billy smiled sadly.

"Trust me, Embry, I would be proud to call you my son. Your real father was a fool to ever deny you - he should have been shouting it from the cliff-tops," he said, and he patted Embry's hand where it was nestled between his own. Jake looked on in love and awe at the exchange between the two men. It was a beautiful moment.

The Pack formed a line to congratulate Embry on his victory and offered Alex warm hugs and kisses on the cheek. Quil spun her around and informed her that she was now going to be known exclusively as 'Sis' from that moment forward. I guess she also gained a family today.

Alex was still reeling from what she'd heard, and I sensed her confusion as I put my arm around her.

"Jacob was joking, right, Bella? I mean, giant wolves? He was screwing around, right?" she asked, her eyes not focusing on anything in front of her.

"Embry will explain everything, Alex. I just want you to remember one thing for me," I said. She turned to me, giving me her full attention. "He's still Embry. He's still the sweet, kind, patient guy you fell in love with. Look at what he went through today to share his life with you. He loves you with everything he is, and the more you find out about him, the more you'll see what an amazing person you have. Just... keep an open mind. If you need to leave and clear your head, I want you to call me. Just listen to what he has to say, and don't leave until you've let everything sink in. He's still Embry. Just remember that." She nodded slowly and gave Embry a wide eyed stare as he came back over to us, smiling widely.

"Bella's singing my praises, I hope?" he joked, before giving Alex a nervous look.

"Sweetie, would you... uh... can we take a walk, maybe?" Alex looked at me for reassurance and I smiled comfortingly and nodded. She placed her hand in his and agreed. Embry looked to me gratefully and gave me a blinding smile.

"Thanks for being here and supporting me, Bella," he said.

"Any time, Em. You deserve it." I stood on my toes and reached up to place a light kiss on his cheek. "Go get your girl, tiger," I whispered, before turning back to Jake. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at what he'd just seen.

"Hmmph, the whole fighting-for-the-girl thing does it for you, huh? Maybe I should warn Em to keep his distance for a while," he said in mock jealousy. I snaked my arms around his waist.

"Nah, there's only one wolf I want fighting for me, and he already won," I said burying my head in his chest as he wrapped me in his arms.

"Sure did, and I got one hell of a prize – even if she's a little bashed up right now," he quipped. I leaned back and swatted his arm lightly.

"Hey, stop making fun of the infirmed. You own part of my soul now, better start being nicer to me or I might just take it back." Jake scooped me up bridal style once again to carry me out to the car.

"As if you'd even want to," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my temple. I snuggled into his warmth as I felt the drowsiness of my pain meds start to kick in.

"True. Sorry to break it to you, but you're stuck with me for life," I teased.

"Sounds pretty fucking fantastic to me."

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><p><strong>AN: Horray! Everything's coming up roses! So Em and Alex are finally able to share the secret. Hope she takes it better than Addie did.**

**Was the council scene believable for you? I realised that even though they're council members, they're family members first, so they're bound to feel a bit guilty and sentimental towards the pack when they're related to most of them.**

**What do we think about the little revelation about Jake and Bella? Hope you guys realise now that her getting shot had several purposes – an example of a non-imprint for Embry to use, a way of really resolving the Addie story line and a way for Bella to mend Jake's soul with her own. I figured almost giving her life to protect him would do that. So yeah, it wasn't just me trying to be dramatic for the sake of it!**

**Next chapter will be winding down to the end I'm afraid. Alex and Embry have some adjusting to do, and Bella's able to enjoy the fact that she can be open with her best friend. Jake's going to see the Pendletons and may not find what he expected. Bella and Jake also need to just have sex, already, God! **

**After that, there are a few plot points that need resolution and then I think I'll be doing a series of glimpses into our characters' futures and how they live after all their fighting for each other is done. I'm quite sad to be ending this story, but I may have another idea in the works. If you guys would like to read it, I'd sure love to write it.**


	29. Chances With Wolves

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: Realised in my rush to get this posted yesterday, it was chock full of typos! How embarrassing. Reposted with corrections.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Nine: Chances With Wolves<strong>

**Bella POV**

When you're a danger magnet like I am, you kind of get used to the presence of pain in your life. I'm pretty familiar with the interior of hospitals and what an x-ray of my leg looks like. Broken bones. Sprained joints. Bleeding. Stitches. Vampire bites. Bullet wounds. You name it, it's probably happened to me in some form or another over the course of my twenty years of life. Well, excluding being stabbed. Hope I get to avoid that one. My point is, when you have such a familiar relationship with pain, you kind of develop this ability to spot the rewards and savour them when they make themselves known to you - which is exactly what I found myself doing when I woke the morning after the Council meeting. Why?

Jacob Black was half-naked, asleep, in my bed and bathed in the glow of the mid-summer sunlight. I don't think life gets much better than this.

I hadn't even noticed when he climbed in my window last night – my pain meds making me a heavy sleeper for the first time ever. I moved a lock of hair away from his forehead to get a better look at him. It wasn't as if I'd never done this before, it's just that I'd been sure I'd never get the opportunity to do it ever again. He was really mine now – body, mind and soul. I could hardly dare believe it as I studied him. For all his playful attitude, insightful comments and stoic leadership, it was _this _Jake, this snoozing-in-the-early-morning-sunlight version of him that was one of my favourites. This was the version only I got to see.

His skin had had this luminescence about it that no make-up or fancy skincare product could achieve. Thick, dark eyelashes were caressing his enviable cheekbones and I noticed the littlest white scar to the left of his nose for the first time. Temptingly full lips were arranged into an adorable pout in his sleep, and a tiny crease appeared between his strong brows; he was lost to a dream, I realised. I don't think I'd ever need or want to dream again if this was what waking life was like.

I let my gaze travel down the rest of him, where he was hunched in my too-small bed. His body was a masterpiece, truly. It held strength and power in every cell of it, and the all-consuming need it invoked in me was almost embarrassing. The bestthing about Jake was that he didn't really see his body that way. He kind of viewed it the way the rest of us would think of an old, reliable car we inherited from our grandparents. It got him from point A to point B, and unless it gave him any trouble, he didn't really think about it. The only time he really talked about his physique was when he was smugly teasing me about the effect he was having on the state of my panties. Yeah, it kind of sucked that he knew if I so much as thought about sex, but his endearingly cocky attitude made it difficult to stay mad at him. Looking at Jacob now, I realised he'd have bragging rights again, and soon. It was getting more and more difficult to keep my hands to myself, and due to our ruthless interruptions of late, I was starting to feel like a dehydrated woman shown a bottle of water before it was taken away from her.

I walked my fingers up the length of his exposed arm before laying a kiss on his shoulder. I moved to do the same to each of his cheeks and the end of his nose.

"Jake..." I breathed, watching the little tufts of hair around his ear flutter with the breeze of my breath. He didn't so much as move. Seriously, for a wolf, he's not very vigilant. I trailed kisses down to his collar bone and shoulder, letting my tongue dart out between my lips to taste his skin. He was slightly salty – he'd been running a long time before he got to me. I kissed my way across the expanse of his chest before nuzzling along his pectoral. He let the slightest flinch as I passed his nipple and I glanced back at him. A small smirk was pulling on the edge of his delicious lips and he was trying to keep still. The jerk was awake! He was just pretending to still be asleep to see how far I'd go. Well, two can play games here. I sighed dramatically.

"Damn, Jake, you must really be tired. I better let you sleep when you're in such dire need of it," I said in mock innocence. I moved to get out of bed and was stopped when a strong, warm, arm snaked around my waist and pulled me back into his chest in a spooning position and he buried his face in my hair.

"No! More kisses. And nuzzling... yeah," he demanded lazily. I couldn't help but smile as I turned in his arms to face him.

"I don't know Jacob, it seems like you're pretty beat. Maybe you should just get some shut eye." He cocked an eyebrow and one, big coffee-coloured eye opened to look at me. I didn't know how he achieved it, but he actually shot me a withering look with half his face buried in the pillow.

"I'm sleepy, not _dead_," he replied, before sticking his face directly into my modest cleavage and settling in to sleep again. I giggled as I took in the sight of his scruffy dark hair nestled contentedly. I tapped the top of his head lightly.

"Planning to come out of there any time soon?" I asked. He shook his head slightly and his nose tickled my breast bone. I could feel his hot breath through my tank top, and the feeling of it was sending delighted tingles straight to my core. "Jake, what are you doing?"

"Need to reacquaint myself with some old friends," was the muffled response. He leaned back and spoke directly to my chest. "What's up, Bella's boobs? Long time no see! How you guys doin'?" he asked animatedly. I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all as he let his mouth gape and looked up at me. "I think they got bigger!" he said, eyes wide with childlike wonder.

"You know, on anyone else that would seem misogynistic and immature. How do you manage to make it adorable?" I asked, shaking my head as he moved back beside me and stretched out lazily on the bed. He just grinned at me smugly and let his eyes travel down the length of my body in appreciation.

"It's the puppy dog thing. Means I can say whatever I want and you'll still want to fling your panties at me," he informed confidently, putting an arm around me as I laid my head on his chest. He pressed a kiss into my hair. Remember what I said about him being completely smug about his body?

"Is that so?" I teased, snuggling into his warmth. It had been so damn long since we'd just been together. After all of our fighting for each other, hurting each other and seeing other people we were finally Jake 'n' Bells, and it really was easy as breathing.

"Mmm-mm," he murmured, as I leaned up to capture his lips with my own. My body felt like it was burning from the inside out – in the most pleasant way possible - as he deepened the kiss, exploring my mouth with his tongue. He groaned into me as I moved in the bed to straddle him, his large hands finding the curve of my waist perfectly. They travelled upwards, pulling my tank-top with them as he exposed my breasts to his waiting mouth. I thought I was going to come undone as he took one of my nipples between his lips and suckled gently. The thumb of his other hand traced the areola of my other breast, leaving me a panting mess as I ground myself into the growing hardness between my thighs. I was so wet I was sure he could already feel it. The growl I elicited from him as a result of my movements was just about the sexiest thing I'd ever heard.

"Fuck.. Bells.." he breathed, flipping us over and putting himself on top. He left a treasure trail of soft, territorial nips as he moved down my torso. This dominance he'd been displaying of late was a massive turn on, and I wanted to do nothing but submit my body to him and let him do whatever the hell he liked.

All too abruptly, he stopped, sat back on his haunches and pulled my shirt back down, covering me once again. My brain struggled to fight through the fog of lust I'd been in as I registered that he'd sat back at the headboard beside me and shook his head.

"What... what's wrong?" I panted. I was struggling to regain control of my body, when all I wanted to do was grab him and pull him back on top of me.

"You're not healed yet, Bells," he said, squeezing his eyes shut. _Are you fucking kidding me?_ I knew he was trying to calm down his own urges too. Why the hell was he fighting this?

"Jake, I'm fine... I get my stitches out tomorrow... they're just an ornament really... nothing more.." I pleaded. He was having none of it.

"You still haven't gotten the all clear from a doctor yet. I can't risk hurting you, Bells. I just want to be sure," he said. I couldn't believe another boyfriend was refusing to sleep with me in case I'd get hurt.

"Jake..." I groaned, frustrated with him in more ways than one, "I know my own body. I feel fine!" He turned to cup my face in his hands and looked at me earnestly.

"Honey, believe me, there's nothing more I'd like to do than to strip you naked, run my tongue over every inch of you and show you, repeatedly, exactly how much I want you... but I'm not budging on this. Please, let me look out for you, just this once." I felt my resolve crumbling right into those big brown eyes. _Damn them._

"Fine," I sighed, "but no more excuses after tomorrow," I said, looking him dead in the eyes. He appeared to mull over what I'd said for a beat before he answered.

"Yeah, tomorrow. As long as I'm satisfied that you're back to one hundred percent." I didn't miss the loophole in his bargain. There was no way he was turning this around on me. Come Tuesday at the latest, Jake and I were locking ourselves in a private room and weren't coming out for at least twelve hours. I'd make sure of it.

"Deal, " I said, letting my eyes roam over his body as he got up to stretch out his muscles. "Where are you going now? We have the house to ourselves... I thought we could spend the day together. You know, watch trashy eighties action movies, order pizza, make out on the couch..." I trailed off as I saw the conflicted look marring his features.

"Baby I'm so sorry, but I have to go track down the Pendletons with Quil today... you know I wouldn't bail on you unless it was important," he pleaded. I fought the frustrated groan that was climbing out of my throat at his words. He really did look sorry, and if I was going to be the Alpha's mate, I had to accept that sometimes, pack business came first. Especially when it was threatening exposure. I nodded solemnly.

"Okay.. I get it, but... hurry back?" I said hopefully. He gave me a warm, grateful smile as he pressed a kiss to my forehead and another to my lips.

"You'll barely know I'm gone," he said, looking into my eyes. He shot me a salute just before he hopped straight out my open window.

_As if!_

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><p><strong>Alex POV<strong>

"And you can hear each other's thoughts..." I said, hardly believing it.

"Yep."

"And memories? Like if you remember something that you did that day..."

"...The other guys will see it as if they were there, looking through my eyes."

My own eyes shot open in realisation. I smacked Embry on the arm before instantly regretting is as pain stung my fingers.

"Holy shit, it's like I have my own sex tape!" I groaned. He was trying to hide the smirk from his face, but he was doing a pretty piss-poor job of it. "It's not funny Embry, I didn't know all the other dudes had seen my... assets." Embry pulled me into a loving hug but I could hear the soft snickering he was trying to suppress.

"Sweetie, I swear, I try my best not to think of any of our private moments. I won't say there haven't been certain... images that haven't slipped out, but we all try to respect each other's privacy."

"I still feel like Paris Hilton," I grumbled. That half-smirk I loved so much was starting to get pretty damn irritating.

"Nah, you're way hotter than her," he flirted.

We were sitting face to face on Embry's couch, having 'Wolfie Question Time' as he called it. I was still expecting someone to jump out and tell me I was on a hidden camera show, and I'd won a cash prize, but it didn't seem like that would be happening any time soon. We'd stayed up all night, Embry explaining everything he could think of and I was trying not to faint from the information overload. I was pretty sure the amount he'd told me had pushed some other stuff out of my brain. If I struggled to pass some of my Journalism classes next year, I was blaming him.

We'd covered a brief history of the pack, vampires (although he told me Bella would be able to explain more about that -I still couldn't believe she'd dated a real live bloodsucker ; I thought I was the wild one) and he'd finally explained the whole theory of imprinting. It was somewhat of a relief to learn what the hell they were all talking about. I had heard that word so many times over the past few days it was almost beginning to lose meaning. He told me about his conclusions that he wouldn't imprint, but wanted me to take some time and think about things. After hearing the story about Sam, Leah and Emily, I could understand why he wanted me to be sure. This was a decision I had to make on my own – I couldn't let anyone else decide if I'd put myself in a position to possibly get hurt - even if he was sure it would never happen.

That was something I wanted to do when I was alone though. At that moment, I didn't think anything would convince me to stay away from Em. One look at his dark eyes and that sexy little smile and I was like a freakin' Beatlemaniac. Today was a day we had to ourselves, and there was one thing I was sure I wanted to do while we had the chance.

"Em, it's seriously okay if you're too tired and all..." I began, and he smiled and started sliding across the couch to me.

"I'm never _that _tired, Alex," he replied, letting his eyes take in my body as he got closer. I couldn't help but laugh at his sleazy moves.

"No... I don't mean that, idiot," I giggled. I was really glad no-one had taught Embry how to flirt. With _that_ face and _that_ body, if he was charming too, he could be a total man-whore. This way, he was all mine. "I was going to ask... well, since you said it's safe and all... could I maybe... see him?" What the hell? I was sounding like Bella had when I first met her with all this stammering. Em gave me a confused look for a moment before realisation dawned across his face. He looked pleasantly shocked.

"You mean.. my wolf? You want to see my wolf?" he asked, his voice getting more and more excited as he spoke.

"If it's okay... I mean, it's not against the rules or anything is it?" I didn't want him getting into trouble with Jake over me.

"Not at all. I guess I just didn't think you'd be in that place yet... some of the imprints didn't feel comfortable enough to see the wolf until a few days after they found out," he said. "I'll warn you though, he's really big..." he said, and for once it wasn't an innuendo.

"How big are we talking?" I asked. I'd heard people say they were huge, but not having seen them myself, it was hard to imagine.

"Like, my nose will probably be your forehead's height..." he said. My eyes widened. "But remember, it's just me in there... it's like I'm in a costume that doesn't allow me to talk. I would never hurt you. I can still hear you and understand you, just can't answer you." I nodded, thinking I understood what he was saying, as we got off the couch and walked towards the back door.

Embry started taking off his pants and I was briefly distracted before I remembered what he'd said about their clothes being destroyed if they wore them when they phased. I smiled and patted his butt as he turned away from me to stand out of sight of passers by. No matter how many times I'd seen him naked, it was always a treat. He turned back around to me as he stood inside the tree line. He was wearing a huge grin and took a deep breath.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded, not exactly sure if I was or not. The air shimmered around him, and it was like the atmosphere crackled. In the blink of an eye, my gorgeous boyfriend was replaced with the most beautiful, majestic creature I'd ever seen. He was a beautiful deep grey colour, with darker patches throughout his fur. His face was lighter, which made his intense eyes stand out more. They were all Embry. One look into them and I knew what he'd said was true- it was still him in there, he just couldn't communicate with me.

He stood still, nervously watching my reactions. I realised he was afraid to startle me, and I took a tentative step closer to him.

"Can I touch you?" I asked, feeling slightly stupid for talking to a wolf. He nodded a little and bowed his head to allow me better access. His fur was puppy-soft, and he smelled earthy, like the wood-burning stove my grandpa had. "You're beautiful, Em," I breathed, really meaning it. He looked into my eyes after that and a long tongue darted out to lick my exposed forearm.

"Hey, usually you have to warn a girl before you start tonguing her!" I exclaimed, and it almost sounded like he was laughing at me.

He spent the next half hour showing off his skills to me before I started missing his voice and he phased back. As soon as he was human again, he wrapped me in a tight embrace, lifting me off the ground.

"That was better than I ever imagined, Alex," he breathed, speaking into my neck. My heart melted at the absolute relief in his voice.

"Did you think I'd run screaming for the hills?" I taunted. I knew everything hadn't exactly sunk in yet, but I knew what he'd gone through to share this with me, and there was no way I'd want to leave him now.

"I didn't really know what to expect," he said sheepishly.

I ran my fingers through his shaggy locks and tugged his head down to my height. I pressed my nose against his and looked straight into those big brown eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, and then I kissed my werewolf boyfriend.


	30. Girl Talk

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty: Girl Talk<strong>

**Bella POV**

After Jake left, I spent the day catching up on laundry and housework. It was actually the first time since I'd been shot that I didn't have a wolfy babysitter. I got myself showered, dressed in yoga pants and a hooded sweatshirt and busied myself with the therapy of cleaning. Alex always joked that I was the ideal room-mate, since I actually enjoyed being domestic, but there was always something soothing about going from room to room and being able to see what you'd accomplished with your day. I could be lazy and procrastinate, just like anyone else, sure, but most of the time I genuinely did enjoy it.

It was about seven thirty when I heard the front door open and Alex called out.

"Bel-aa! It's girls night and we brought wine!" she sang, and I smiled in relief that she seemed to be her usual bubbly self in the wake of Embry's revelation. Leah trailed in after her with a half smirk on her face and they both slouched on to the sofa, kicking their shoes off. Leah gave me a sheepish look as she settled in.

"Your dad and my mom are still behaving like honeymooners. I figured I'd give them some space since Seth's on a date with Vanessa." I felt like she was making an excuse to be here, but in truth, I was glad she was. I hadn't really spent much time with her since I'd started college, and her Bella duty hadn't really counted since I slept most of that time.

"It's cool, I'm glad you're here. Although I'm not sure I'll be having any of that," I said, pointing to the wine."Pain meds and one kidney does not a heavy drinker make."

"I thought you were coming off the pain meds?" Leah asked.

"I guess, but I still only have the one kidney." Alex shrugged.

"Alright, more for us. Leah probably needs a bottle to herself any way with all the wolfy mojo," she said. It was surreal to hear her reference The Pack and do it so easily.

"So how are we dealing with the fact our boyfriend may end up shedding all over the bed sheets?" I asked, eyeing her curiously. She wrinkled her nose as if trying to figure out if that could actually happen.

"It's pretty cool," she smiled. "I won't lie, the whole time he was talking about it, I was waiting for him to start laughing and tease me that I actually fell for it. That was until I saw the wolf."

"You saw it already?" Leah asked, clearly impressed. Alex nodded as I went to the kitchen to fetch some glasses and the chilled bottle of Sprite I'd spotted in there earlier. I put one of the bottles of wine in the fridge to keep cool.

"Yeah, I think I needed to see it to really believe it."

"And?" Leah prodded.

"He was beautiful...amazing. Really soft too. Are all of you that colour?" she was asking as I settled back in Charlie's recliner after placing a big bowl of Doritos, a jumbo bag of marshmallows and a pack of Oreos on the coffee table. Leah leaned forward and grabbed a handful of chips. She shook her head in response to Alex.

"Nah, each one of us is different. I'm silver-gray. Seth's like a sandy colour. Sam's black," she listed, munching on the chips as she spoke. "Quil's dark brown, like chocolate, Jared's light brown, Paul's dark gray, Brady's light gray and Collin's kind of a reddish brown. I think that's got something to do with being Jake's first cousin, because his fur's red." Alex's eyes widened and she looked to me for confirmation. I knew what it was like being overloaded with information like she was.

"Crazy, huh?" I said. She nodded slowly.

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around everything. And then there's the whole imprinting thing. I mean, Em wants me to really think about the risks involved here, but I'm just not sure I can see it as a reality." Leah took that opportunity to speak up.

"Oh it's a reality alright. Be happy you've been given the choice, rather than having it barge into your life and make your boyfriend fuck your cousin," she said, taking a gulp of wine. I expected Alex to apologise for speaking without thinking of Leah, but instead she topped up her glass and gave Leah her full attention. She realised there was no better person to talk to about this.

"Would you have walked away, if you had known?" she asked. Leah thought for a moment and looked at me.

"When Bella left Jake because of it, I envied her. I thought she was the luckiest person because she could walk away from all of this relatively unscathed. But these past few weeks, the more I've thought about it... I've kind of made peace with everything. I'm glad I had my time with Sam, because it means I know what I'm looking for now," she mused. She picked up an Oreo and began twisting it apart.

"You and Sam were pretty serious, yeah?" Alex asked. It was strange seeing Leah open up so much to someone. I realised Alex was going to make a great journalist if all of her interviewees trusted her the way Leah did. It also comforted me to realise that both women were becoming fast friends. Leah needed that in her life, and I knew Alex had always liked her.

"We were engaged. I was so sure he was the one for me. I realise now that he was just the one I found first. There are billions of guys out there, and I was going to marry the one who lived ten minute's walk away," she smirked. "When Sam left me for Emily, I kind of romanticised a lot of our relationship. In truth, we were far from perfect. We're both such strong personalities that we spent most of our time fighting or having make-up-sex." I hadn't known either of them back then, but it's what I would have imagined their relationship was like. There was no way either of them could submit to the other, it just wasn't the way they were wired.

"I guess that was why he didn't fight the imprint for me. He just didn't love me," she said sadly. I gave her a sympathetic look and she smiled gratefully.

"That doesn't mean he didn't love you, Leah. All the guys have said that the imprint was absolute, there's no way he could fight it."

"Jake fought his. He wasn't even with you and he loved you so much that his imprint didn't even take properly," she argued quietly. Alex turned to me with a sentimental smile on her face.

"Oh my God, is that true?" she gushed. I couldn't help smiling back as I nodded. "Holy shit, that is so frickin' sweet! Oh I'm going to give him the biggest hug when I see him again," she cooed. I just laughed at how my normally badass friend had been reduced to an excited girlie-girl.

"Yeah... seeing that fairytale play out made me realise how far from ideal Sam and I were, and I'm okay with that," Leah continued. "What Sam and I had was good, and I have some great memories. But you know what? It gives me hope because when I do find the one for me, it's going to be even _better."_

Two hours later, I'd finally given in to peer pressure and made a spritzer in my wine glass. I could feel it going to my head already as Leah and I filled Alex in on stories from my high school days.

"I can't believe you kept this all from me for so long. How do you do that without bursting?" she asked.

"By doing a lot of talking to those who do know. It wasn't too hard not to think about in New York with none of The Pack around. Plus, I'm kind of used to big secrets," I said, pouring some more wine into my glass. Alex's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"So I heard. You failed to mention that your ex was a member of the undead, young lady," she said, echoing Charlie's exact words the week before. I smiled sheepishly.

"It's not exactly something Edward would want me sharing, Alex."

"It's okay, I get it. But I gotta ask...was there any life in certain other parts of him?" she teased tipsily. It took me a second to figure out what she was getting at. I gasped and threw a cushion at her.

"Gross! I am not discussing that with you," I scolded. Leah pretended to gag on her wine.

"Yeah, please don't. Don't think my stomach can handle the thought of vampire boners," she groaned.

"Leah!" I gasped, "Stop taking about Edward's...equipment."

"You can say 'penis', Bella, the roof isn't going to cave in," Alex giggled. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I know that. It's just weird talking about Edward that way. He was always so... gentlemanly. I think if he knew we were discussing this he'd probably get all flustered and change the subject," I said in amusement.

"You have to have at least discussed sex, though," Alex said, as Leah placed a palm to her forehead in a show of disgust.

"Sure we did, but you know nothing actually happened. If I got so much as a flutter in my stomach, he'd slam on the breaks. He was afraid his strength would be too much for me and I'd end up injured. We never went past chaste kissing," I informed. It was more than I was intending to reveal, but no-one had ever asked me about it before. It felt nice to share it with Alex.

"Ouch, poor Bella. At least you don't have that problem with Jake," she comforted. I just furrowed my brow frustratedly.

"Yeah, you'd think that wouldn't you," I grumbled. Being reminded of this was starting to put a downer on my mood. Alex looked to Leah in disbelief.

"Is she serious?" she said, before turning back to me again. "Are you serious, Bella? You and Jake are having bedroom troubles? I would have thought you'd be all over each other," she gasped.

"He's not comfortable with it until I get my stitches out and an all clear from the doctor," I answered petulantly.

"Holy crap... that is unacceptable I mean, you're smokin' hot, he's carved from freakin' marble... you guys should be out buying a year's supply of condoms to use up in a month!" she exclaimed. Leah shook her head in disapproval.

"I told him he'd end up insulting you if he kept thinking like that. He's such a guy some times. You know he'll only let me take on the pups during combat training because he thinks the other guys might hurt me? I have super healing powers!" she exclaimed. Jake really could take his protective nature too far sometimes, but I guessed since his mom died and his sisters left, and then _I_ left, he wasn't taking any chances with the women in his life.

"Yeah, well, come tomorrow, he's not backing out on me. I just have to make him see that I'm okay. Although short of doing a strip tease before jumping him, I don't know how to go about that," I replied. Alex giggled at the idea while Leah just looked thoughtful.

"Actually, you might be on to something there," she said with a mischievous tone. I gave her a puzzled look, prompting her to continue. "You want Jake to see you're okay, right?" she checked. I nodded.

"Yeah, that's what I said... but Leah... I was just kidding about the stripping thing, no way I'd have the balls to do that."

"You'd be surprised what you'll have the nerve to do after a shot of tequila," she retorted, giving me a knowing smirk.

"Fine, I'll bite. What exactly are you suggesting, Leah?" I enquired. She sat up straighter on the couch and leaned forward excitedly.

"Bella, what's Jake's favourite movie?" she asked. Alex looked to me expectantly for the answer. I still didn't see where she was going with this.

"It's Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof," I replied automatically. Jake used to watch it every time he was having a lazy day off or we couldn't decide on something else. He'd even have impromptu screenings with Embry and Quil some nights while they were still in school, where they would make popcorn and quote all of Stuntman Mike's lines along with Kurt Russell as they watched. It was really cute to witness and I was pretty fond of the movie myself. Leah's smirk turned into a full smile.

"And do you know what his favourite scene in the movie is?" she asked. He'd never actually told me, but after I thought about it for a second, I could guess. Oh.

A slow smile spread across my face as I realised._ Oh._

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><p><strong>Jacob POV<strong>

Since wolfing out, I had never had much patience for travelling long distances in cars. My legs could always get there faster and I wasn't out gas money. I was definitely itching to run freely as I sat in the passenger seat of the Rabbit with Quil behind the wheel. The guy drove like a blind grandmother and kept flinching every time I moved or made noise.

"Dude, it's not going to break if you lean on the accelerator a little," I said.

"Oh no, there's no way I'm risking crashing this thing while you're sitting in it. It's like you're baby, I'd probably get the same treatment as if I broke Bella's wrist!" he retorted.

"You're scared of me? That's why you're driving like we have four flat tyres?"

"Damn right I am, you can really kick my ass since your Alpha growth spurt." I couldn't help but laugh at his admission.

"Quil I promise that I won't hurt you if something goes wrong, just please, for the love of God, step on it!"

As the speed clock slowly climbed higher, I slipped back into my thoughts. I was nervous to see Addie again. I knew I wouldn't feel anything for her, but after everything she'd done, I was sure my temper wouldn't stay friendly when I laid eyes on her. Problem was, Addie was still just a human girl, and I couldn't really do anything in good conscience to ensure their lasting silence. I was in a bind. I had decided to just play the visit by ear, hoping that talking and reasoning with them would help make them understand. If that failed, then we'd resort to scare tactics.

As we entered the town where Addie grew up, I couldn't help but muse over how things could have been so different. This place could have ended up being my new home. I couldn't see myself fitting in here at all. The lawns were perfectly manicured, rosebushes tended to lovingly. I even spotted one or two white picket fences with expensive, flashy cars behind them. I knew I would have spent my whole life in this place just trying to fit in. I knew with one drive through here that I never would.

As I looked around the streets, something on a street lamp caught my eye. It was a missing person's poster. I motioned for Quil to drive closer to it so I could have a better look. On the faded print out, smiling brightly without a care in the world, were Addie and her father.

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><p><strong>AN: Just a note that the latest plot twist has been planned for some time. I know people have told me they're getting sick of them but it's how I choose to resolve this part of the plot! Hope a lot of you are still with me this far in the story.**

**Oh and the Death Proof reference will be played out in the next chapter. If you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene is Jake's favourite ;)**

**This chapter is for ilovfanfic on Jacob Black N Pack, who wanted to hear from Leah regarding imprinting. Hope you liked it!**


	31. The Ex Factor

_Disclaimer: All__ publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-One: The Ex Factor<strong>

**Jacob POV**

"Well, that's a freakin' curve-ball if ever there was one," Quil commented, and I found myself agreeing.

If Addie and Geoffrey were missing, it raised a whole boatload of questions. Was it anything do do with what they knew? Geoffrey was a powerful man, and he was just sly enough to have made a few enemies over the years. I wasn't a businessman, but even I knew that times were tough for everyone these days. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I was hoping that it had been simply some sort of financial trouble that was responsible for their disappearance. Maybe he owed money and took off? But there was still one glaring clue that quashed that theory – Addie and Geoffrey were the only faces on the poster. If Geoffrey had pissed off the wrong people and made himself scarce, wouldn't he have brought his wife?

I tugged the poster from the lamp post and studied it further. They had last been seen just under two weeks ago – around the time Bella got shot.

"What are we thinkin'?" Quil enquired. He had let the engine idle in the street, and we were capturing a few curious stares from the residents in the houses, full of families settled in for the evening. No doubt the less-than-pristine position of my car was a dead giveaway that we weren't local.

"I'm thinking we'd better keep moving before we gather too much attention. They don't seem to get too many outsiders around here," I replied. Quil nodded and pulled back out on to the road.

"Think we should head over to their house, see if there's any clues that people of our... talents can pick up?" he said excitedly. Quil always loved the thrill of a hunt, and I had to admit that it had been a while since we'd encountered more than a stray nomad on our lands. My wolf was getting antsy at the prospect of flexing our muscles.

"I think you read my mind, Q," I smirked.

It took us about ten minutes of driving round the area to locate Sandhurst Street. The houses here were more lavish than even the others we'd seen. The Pendletons were seriously rich if this community was anything to go by. Most of the homes were obscured by eight-foot walls and iron gates, and it looked like most of the people here valued their privacy. _Too bad Addie and Geoffrey hadn't valued ours. _Quil let out a low whistle as we looked around.

"You know, I'm sure you could have gotten a nice chunk of this in a divorce settlement," he teased. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"I'd rather live on squirrels in the forest, thanks," I replied. Quil smiled like he'd expected me to say something like that.

"I'm just saying, you could have married into the fortune, made a nice trophy husband for a few years, then moved Bella in to be your naughty chamber maid. Think of the kinky, forbidden sex – it's a total turn-on. When Addie found out, you and Bells could skip off with a nice little nest-egg for all the dozens of pups you're gonna make," he said raising an eyebrow. I couldn't help but laugh at his reasoning.

"Yeah and I'm sure you would have been up my ass asking me for hand-outs every five minutes," I replied.

"It would only be fair," he said solemnly. I really didn't know where he came up with this shit. I was pulled out of my amused humour when he stopped the car abruptly.

"Well.. there's clue number one," he breathed. I followed his gaze beyond an ornate iron gate to the house inside. There wasn't much left of it. From the mere expanse of property, I could tell there was once a mansion here, but it had been burned to a crisp. Police tape was wrapped around the lock on the front gate and it looked like much of the scene had been cleaned up following, what looked like, a major house fire.

"Fuck," was all I could manage. Quil nodded in my peripheral vision.

"Wherever the Pendletons have gone, I've got a feeling someone didn't intend for there to be anything to come back to," he mused.

"Think we should get a closer look?" I asked. I knew I didn't have to. Quil was already moving the car to park out of sight. We left it around the corner on a side street and skulked back. It had gotten darker since we'd first driven into town, and hopefully the security system hadn't been enabled. The last thing we needed was to be arrested and have to come up with some bullshit story about why we were trespassing on my missing ex-girlfriend's property.

We hopped over the wall pretty easily, and I winkled my nose at the stench of charred debris. I could detect the scent of gasoline underneath it all. Whoever did this, they weren't worried about making it look accidental. As we got closer to the remains of the house, I could tell we weren't going to gather much information from it – it was thoroughly destroyed.

"Someone wasn't taking any chances," Quil commented, kicking away the remnants of the front door. "Don't think we'll find much here, Jake." I nodded in agreement.

"I'm just going to take a look around the grounds a little before we head back to the car. Maybe Charlie can put in a call to the local police and see what they've figured out."

Quil nodded and we split up to walk around the perimeter of the house. When I got to the rear of the property, Quil called me over excitedly and I jogged to see what he'd found. I didn't even have to get to him to know what it was; a growl thundered in my chest. It was very faint, but a the pungent stench of leech was still among some of the charred shrubbery at the back of the building.

"Guess we know it wasn't unrelated to us," I said.

"Think they got too curious about vampires and pissed some off?" He asked. It was plausible, but I had thought they wouldn't be that stupid.

"No idea, but if bloodsuckers are involved, I think it's safe to say we won't be seeing them alive again," I said. I felt a stab of guilt at that. Before I came into their lives, the Pendletons had known nothing about the world I was a part of. They'd fucked up and almost tore my home and my pack apart, but that didn't mean they had to die because of it.

"Does it seem familiar to you?" I asked. There was something nagging at me that I couldn't place. I'd learned to trust my gut lately. Quil furrowed his brow.

"I think so, but it's too faint to know for sure," he replied after thinking for a moment. I nodded in agreement – I felt the same way.

"What do you want to do? This scent is weeks old, if it lead anywhere, it's been washed away by now – this is still here because it's sheltered from the elements," he surmised, pointing to where the eave of the house was expanded slightly over the plants. I sighed. I was pretty exhausted, having barely had four hour's sleep the night before. If we were going to do anything, it couldn't be done tonight.

"Let's just call it a night. We can check into a hotel and think about our next move."

Half an hour later and we were settling in to our room. Quil kicked his shoes off and fell back into one of the puffy beds. This town was so affluent, even their cheap motels were fancy.

"I'm going to call Bells, let her know we're staying the night," I informed. I felt bad I wouldn't be there to take her to the hospital the next day. Quil just grunted as he searched the TV channels. "I should probably tell Em and Sam what happened too, get 'em to spread the info around. We might need to call a meeting on this when we get back."

"Oh, hey, can I use your phone to call Claire when you're done? Mine's dead and she needs the Goodnight Song before she goes to sleep," he said seriously, as if it was the most important task in the world. I smirked at him and agreed. Big brother Quil was still taking some getting used to, even after two years.

Bella answered the phone with a giggle in her voice, and I could pick up the sound of chatter in the backgound.

"Hey Jaaaake, calling to tell me to forget about the deal?" she flirted. She sounded like she'd been drinking and I smiled and shook my head.

"Let me guess, Alex proudly flashed her legal ID and you're shit-faced on a single wine cooler?" I asked, chuckling as I stepped outside for privacy. I still had to witness Bella under the influence for myself, but from the stories Alex had told me about their Freshman year, Drunk Bella was a good time.

"Actually, it was a spritzer and I had four of them. Don't judge me I have one kidney!" she corrected.

"And you're determined to get full mileage out of it," I teased.

"Pfft, we can't all be built like the Hulk and drink half a liquor store in one sitting," she argued. I laughed at how defensive she was getting.

"I know, Honey, I'm kidding. I'm glad you're having a good night." I really was. My girl deserved to cut loose after all she'd been through lately.

"So when are you coming home? Leah's been telling us secrets," she chanted. I groaned at that.

"Oh fuck, Leah's there? Don't listen to a word she says, she exaggerates everything, just like her brother."

"I heard that, Black!" I heard Leah call from the background. Even she sounded a little tipsy. I laughed as I imagined the three of them cackling like witches.

"She was supposed to," I told Bells, knowing she would hear. "I'm sorry sweetie but Quil and I are staying the night," I said sorrowfully.

"Bet he planned that. Quil's always been one for a little kink," Leah volunteered. Bella and Alex descended into giggles.

"Will you tell her to can it? I'm trying to relay important information here!" I complained. I heard Bella hush Leah and then she cleared her throat after I heard a button being pushed..

"You're on speaker phone now. Go on," she said, attempting to sound serious. I let it slide. This conversation was already taking forever.

"When we got here we saw missing person's posters, with Addie and her father on them, they disappeared around the time you got shot, Bells," I informed. The girls seemed to sober up immediately.

"Holy crap, what do you think happened?" she asked.

"We have a fair idea," I replied. "We went to their address, the place is burnt to a cinder. Quil and I looked around a little but there was nothing left."

"You think it was human or vampires?" Leah asked, going down the exact train of thought we had.

"We weren't sure, until we picked up a faded leech scent around the back. It's been washed away mostly by the rain, but it's definitely there," I informed. I heard two gasps and a low growl on the other end of the line.

"Shit, Jake... I'm sorry. I know you and Addie didn't part on the best of terms, but it's horrible if she was taken," Bella sympathised. I couldn't believe how compassionate she was. However indirectly, Addie was responsible for Bella being shot, and had at one point been my imprint and Bells was _still _consoling me. _Yeah, I definitely made the right choice._ I smiled to myself despite the horrible situation.

"Thanks, sweetie, but I'm okay. I'm just feeling a little guilty if something bad has happened to her. It's my fault she's in the middle of this mess," I said. Leah spoke up then.

"Yeah, but it's her own fault for trying to expose us. I'm not saying the bitch had it coming to her, but karma seemed to think so," she said. I didn't really know whether to argue with her or not, but it was starting to get late and I had more calls to make.

"Yeah, well, we still need to find out what the hell happened," I sighed. Bella piped up then with an idea I did not like at all.

"I could call Edward," she said. I immediately shot her down.

"No way, Bells. Cullen's finally out of our lives and you want to bring him prancing back in? Forget it."

"Well do you have any better ideas, _Alpha?_" she retorted. Calling me that was her way of reminding me that she wasn't in the pack and I couldn't order her around. Despite my irritation, it was such a fucking turn on when Bella got sassy with me. I sighed.

"No, but does it have to be him? Can't you call the pixie or the doctor?" I asked. I knew I was being petty, but Edward Cullen was still my one Achilles heel when it came to Bella. I nearly lost her to him once, forgive me for not wanting to allow him any more opportunities to snake back into her life.

"I only have Edward's number. Alice changed hers when they left and I don't have her new one," she replied. _Damn._

"Okay, but he's not coming to Forks to see you, no matter what he says," I bargained.

"He can't see me anyway, remember? I doubt he'd risk upsetting the Volturi just to talk about something we could discuss over the phone," she replied. I felt a little bit better after that.

"Alright, call me if he has anything of use to tell you," I said. "I gotta go, Quil's waiting to use the phone and I still have to tell Embry and Sam what happened."

"Okay baby. You'll be back tomorrow? I have a surprise planned for you," she purred. The tone of her voice sent a shockwave straight to my groin. Would it really be so bad to run home right now?

"Yeah, I'll be home in the evening... I can't wait to see you, Honey," I breathed. I really fucking meant it, too.

"Still on speaker phone," Leah barked. "Keep it PG guys!"

They were still laughing as Bella said goodnight and hung up.

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><p><strong>Bella POV<strong>

"Uh oh," I said, scrolling through the contacts on my phone. I was still feeling buzzed from our drinks but I needed to pull it together to call Edward.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, as Leah started tidying up our mess.

"I have to call Edward, he'll know I've been drinking!" I squeaked. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"He's not your father, Bella, what's it to him anyway?"

"I need him to take me seriously. He won't approve."

Leah scoffed.

"You seriously need to stop caring what the vampire thinks of you, the dude munches on Bambi when he gets hungry," she said.

"I guess, I just didn't really behave this way when we were together," I replied.

"What, you mean having fun?" Alex asked. I actually giggled when I realised she was right. Screw it, I needed to make this call tonight. I got off the couch and sought out the privacy of my bedroom. I didn't need those two calling out from the sidelines as I tried to talk to him. I dialled the number and he picked up after the second ring.

"Bella, I've wanted to call you but wasn't sure whether Jacob would be happy about it. Alice tells me your future is fairly certain now – it's blank." My fogged-up brain wouldn't let me relish the meaning behind those words.

"Edward, I'm sorry if I'm sounding rude, or whatever. I'd hate for you to think I'm rude. You have such great manners, you know? Like my Grandpa Dwyer. Were you always like this or was it something you've picked up? Or were all the guys back then like that? It's sweet, but it must get _exhausting_-"

"Bella, have you been drinking?" he asked suddenly, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Jeez, what are you and Jake, the alcohol police? I had a few spritzers; It's Girls' Night!" I whined. Why were they so amazed that I drank? I'd done beer bongs in college. I even beat Alex in a competition once. Of course I threw up straight after, but I'd still won.

"I'm sorry, Bella, it's just... refreshing to gain such an insight to your innermost thoughts," he apologised, albeit amusedly.

"Yeah well, it's not illegal."

"Technically, you're under twenty-one, Bella, so it is illegal."

"Ed_ward_!"

"Sorry, sorry... was there a reason for your call?"

"Some people have gone missing. I wanted to know if you knew anything about it?" I heard him sigh on the other end of the phone.

"I assume you're referring to Addison Pendleton and her father?" he said. I was surprised he'd concluded that so quickly, but I guessed my brain was getting a little sluggish in my haze.

"So you do know something about it?"

"I was hoping to avoid this conversation, I know how you feel about my family being 'all up in your business' as you so eloquently put it," he began and I outright laughed at the fact Edward was speaking 'ghetto'.

"Oh my God... say that again," I asked between giggles. He laughed softly on the end of the line.

"No, that was a one time only thing, sorry," he said. "Anyway, I told you when we last spoke that I was returning to Volterra to speak with them regarding having further contact with you."

"Yeah, I remember, what does this have to with Addie?" I asked. I really hated how Edward always took the long route when telling a story.

"Alice accompanied me, and while we were there, she received a vision – a disturbing one at that. She saw our world being exposed to human society. It was anarchy. The vampires refused to be governed, humans lived in constant fear for their lives and started forming hunting parties, thinking they could take on our kind. Of course, they can't. Everything was in chaos," he said, clearly haunted by Alice's vision.

"So you know the Pendletons tried to expose everything. I think they were aiming for the pack, I guess vampires were just a side effect," I hiccupped. I really needed to find a glass of water.

"We weren't sure how they came to know the information, but that's what it seems now, yes."

"Yeah, they're real pieces of work. Got me shot and everything!" I said irritatedly.

"They WHAT?" Edward thundered._ Uh... crap._

"Um... yeah, they spread around that there were giant wolves loose in La Push, and some idiots came looking to shoot one, they got me instead," I informed. "I'm perfectly fine now, though. Lost a kidney, but I don't miss it."

"Bella, I really wish you had called us when this happened. Carlisle could have examined you – you know his is the only medical opinion I trust."

I scoffed.

"Seriously, Edward, I'm fine. Other doctors know how kidneys work too, you know."

"Still, I can put in a request that Carlisle be allowed to visit you, please, for my own peace of mind. There could be any number of complications..."

"Edward, remember that whole thing about not listening to me?" I interrupted. He stopped short and sighed frustratedly.

"I understand. Will you at least promise to have someone call me if you have any further health problems? The wolves' blockage of Alice's power is quite maddening," he said.

"I promise," I conceded. "Now, can we please get back to the Pendletons?"

"Ah, yes. I understand that Addison had a close relationship with Jacob?"

"Yeah until she threatened him with blackmail," I replied. I didn't want Edward to know that Jake had been the one to practically hand Addie evidence of the supernatural world. The last thing we needed was the Volturi showing up to take out The Pack.

"Well, I regret that he be informed that Addie and her father, Geoffrey, were deemed too great a threat by The Volturi. They were...disposed of," he said sorrowfully. I sat down on the end of my bed, letting that sink in.

"They're dead?" I clarified.

"I'm afraid so, yes. I'm sorry, Bella, but once Aro knew of Alice's vision, he couldn't let the problem fester. He's so fascinated by her power that he requests to meditate on her as much as he can, gathering information from her. Upon seeing the images I was talking about earlier. He sent representatives of the guard straight away to deal with the matter."

I tried not to think of the kind of death The Volturi inflicted on humans. I gulped dryly.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I think I need another drink... Thanks for telling me what happened, I'll call Jake and tell him. I'll be in touch, okay?"

"Okay, Bella... I'm sorry to be the bearer of such bad news," he said earnestly.

"It's fine... Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Take care of yourself."

"You too. I implore you."

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><p><strong>AN: I know, I said Bella's surprise for Jake would be in this chapter, but it ended up being much longer than I thought, and it didn't feel right to tack on, what will hopefully be a fluffy/sexy scene, to the end of quite a heavy chapter. Next time, I promise!**

**Hope you're satisfied with how this played out. It was the only logical resolution to me, since I couldn't very well have my sweet, kind, funny Jake killing humans. It just didn't sit right for me!**

**Oh, and Kudos to Shell on JBNP and Laila on here for predicting it! Damn you both! :P**


	32. She Did A Dance I Never Saw Before

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.__No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: For anyone who hasn't seen the movie Death Proof, this video is the scene referred to in this chapter. (Remove spaces)**

**http:/ www. youtube. com / watch?v=PfXtmnxhtTY **

**Lines of dialogue are taken from the conversation directly before the clip and are showed in italics. (I couldn't resist including the 'wolf' line) Butterfly/Arlene is coerced into giving a stranger a lap dance by her friend, Jungle Julia, who announced on her radio show that whomever recites the final verse of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost will receive their reward. The poem and the dialogue are property of their respective owners. The title of this chapter is a line from Down In Mexico by The Coasters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-Two: She Did A Dance I Never Saw Before<strong>

I only saw Jake briefly the day I got my stitches out. He was feeling guilty over what had happened to Addie and her father, and I knew that more than anything, he needed comfort and reassurance. Now was not the time for me to give him his surprise. He spent the next two days with Billy and The Pack, and I knew that they were all saying the same thing Leah had – it wasn't his fault the the Pendletons had chosen to abuse the information he'd shared with Addie. They played with fire, and they got burned.

I was going to back out on my plans before Leah intervened.

"Bella the guy needs some seriously good memories right now. If anyone can give him that, it's you. Trust me, he'll love it. He replays that scene in his head every time he watches the movie, sometimes you're the star," she told me over the phone. I smirked at that. It was beyond flattering to think that my big, bad, Alpha was fantasizing about me. "Trust me, you need to do this, and soon, I can't avoid being phased with him for much longer. Sooner or later it'll happen and the surprise will be ruined."

"Fine, but I need to get him over here tonight. I have the house to myself again while Sue and Charlie decide where they're going to live permanently. Alex is out with Embry so it's just me."

"Let me take care of that. He'll be over around nine, think you'll be ready by then, Butterfly?" I felt the nerves already threatening my resolve.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Good girl. Don't forget your costume!"

"Alright, Jungle Julia, send him over."

I watched the video clip online for the tenth time, memorising the scene to play it out perfectly. On Leah's suggestion, I did a shot of tequila for Dutch courage. I had tracked down a replica of the San Franciso t-shirt worn by Vanessa Ferlito on screen, pulling it on over the red and black lace lingerie I'd bought in preparation for this very event. It made me feel sexy and sensual, feeling the silk gliding over my most intimate areas. It wouldn't be long before it was replaced with Jake's gentle, sure touch.

I borrowed a pair of Alex's khaki short-shorts and styled my hair on a sexy, tousled look. My costume complete, I set my ipod up on the dock, ready to play the music. I just had to wait for my very own Stuntman Mike to arrive. I hoped he wouldn't be late, the longer he left it, the more chance there was I'd lose my nerve. I just had to keep thinking of my very own reward at the end of it. Jake and I would _finally _take that final step, and my body shivered in anticipation.

It was just before nine when I heard Jake's rabbit pull up on to the street. _Now or never, I guess._ I checked my reflection one last time, and hurried over to the door. Just opening it a crack, peeked my head out to find a very confused-looking Jake standing on the front step, ready to knock.

"Bells, are you alright? Leah called me saying that you needed to see me urgently. She wouldn't tell me what it is. Why aren't you letting me in?" he rambled, panic starting to show in his voice. I smirked seductively at him and opened the door further, giving him a full view of my costume. I leaned my arm on the door frame and waited for everything to click. His eyes trailed over my body, starting at my legs, over my chest and finally up to my eyes. Confusion gave way to realisation, and his eyes darkened with lust.

_Show time._

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><p><strong>Jacob POV<strong>

My head had been a mess over the past few days. I knew that I shouldn't be feeling guilty, but that's just the way I am – Addie and Geoffrey were dead just because they knew me. It would be a while before I could come to terms with that. When Leah called telling me Bells needed to see me, my heart constricted in my chest. _Of course_ there would have to be something else to go wrong in my life in this crappy week. I was confused as hell when Bella didn't throw the door open and fall into my arms when I got over there – it was the way she usually greeted me. I was panicking. Something was up and it had to do with Bells.

When she opened that door further, all of my fears were extinguished. Holy fuck, she looked amazing. I recognised the outfit straight away. When you're a teenager who lives somewhere with a limited supply of spank material, a movie with a lap dance quickly becomes a firm favourite. The awesome car chases are great too... but that scene, man. I had had some very, very good fantasies because of that. I reached out to touch Bella instinctively. She looked good enough to eat.

She took a step backwards out of my reach, biting her lip that sexy way she does and shaking her brown curls.

"Ah ah ah, _Stuntman Mike_, isn't there something you need to say to me first? I believe you made me a promise..." she purred. Holy shit, she was playing with me. I was getting hard already, looking at this new, sexy confidence my girl was showing me. I could easily have skipped this part, but I could tell Bella had put a lot of thought into this surprise, and I didn't want to let her down. I smirked as I let my gaze trail down those delicious legs of hers. Her toe-nails were painted bright red. _I wonder if that matches anything?_

I cleared my throat and looked in to those big, brown eyes. I took a step forward, aching to be closer to my reward – and what a fucking reward she was.

"_The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep._" I stalked towards her like a predator eyeing the most delicious meal after a long, cold winter. "_Did you hear me, Butterfly_? _Miles to go before __**you**__ sleep._"

She laid a halting hand on my chest before I could step fully inside.

"_Maybe I already broke off that dance?" _she said, paraphrasing the dialogue from the movie. I smiled in recognition. I looked over her eyes, leaning closer to her gorgeous lips as I spoke.

"_Is that true? Do I frighten you?" _I asked huskily. I quirked my head to one side as I studied her face. _"Is it my scar?" _She smirked as her gaze fell to the pathetic little scar to the left of my nose I'd gotten after one-too-many wrestling matches with the guys .It wasn't much compared to the bad-ass mark in the movie.

"_It's your car,_" she quoted perfectly.

"_Sorry, it's my mom's car,_" I replied, in keeping with the role I had to play. She smiled more that I was being so obedient.

"_Have you been following me?_"she asked, cocking a seductive brow. I'd follow her any-damn-where. I chuckled that she was staying so in character. I definitely wanted to try something like this again some time.

"_No, but that's what I love about Austin, it's just so damn small,_" I replied. She still wasn't letting me get fully inside the house. The anticipation was killing me.

"_I saw you outside Guero's,_" she said, referencing the Mexican joint from the film.

"_I saw you outside of Guero's too, you saw my car and I saw your legs,_" I said, leaning back to look at them again. "_Now look, I ain't stalkin ya but I didn't say I wasn't a **wolf**_." I looked her in the eyes and we both grinned at that.

"_I'm not following you, Butterfly. I just... got lucky." _I smirked at her again. I felt pretty fucking lucky right now. "_So, how about that lap-dance?_"I finished. I _really _didn't want to wait any more.

"_Well, Stuntman Mike, I'm Butterfly. My friend Jungle Julia said that juke-box inside is pretty impressive. So why don't you go get ready for your lap-dance?" _She tugged on my shirt, pulling me inside and shut the front door behind me. She had the couch pushed back in the living room and had pulled a chair to the middle of the floor, giving us ample space. Shit, I actually was getting a lap-dance? My cock twitched at the thought of what was about to happen.

_Keep it together, Black, she hasn't even started dancing yet._

She practically pushed me down on the chair facing the door and gave me one of those fuck-me smiles she'd started doing lately. _Holy shit._

She disappeared behind me, and I watched her ass as she slinked up to the Ipod she had docked on the book shelf. After a second, the opening bars of The Coasters' _Down in Mexico _came through the speakers. It's safe to say I'll never hear that song without getting hard ever again.

She walked deliberately slowly back towards me, in time with the music. Jesus Christ, she was going to be the death of me. When she saw my head turned, watching her, she grabbed onto my hair, turning my head forward as she raked her fingers through it. I low growl rumbled in my chest. Her hands on me felt so fucking good.

She moved in front of me, showing me that delicious peach of an ass as she dipped to the floor, swaying her tips in time with the slow, languid beat. Crawling towards me on the floor, ass cocked up in the air, she mouthed the lyrics along with the song, never taking her eyes off mine the whole time. When she got to me, and raked her hands up my shirt, almost pressing her nose to mine, I thought I would lose it right then and there.

She pressed a foot on the chair, between my spread legs and leaned back, running her hands through her hair and swaying her hips like a god-damn belly dancer. A sliver of flesh was exposed as her shirt rode up, and I would have sold my soul to touch it, just once. She was killing me slowly, and I was loving every damn second.

She twirled round gracefully in front of me before leaning back on my lap, laying her head on my shoulder and grabbing my head possessively from the back. I sucked in a sharp breath in arousal -the scent of her was everywhere and I was drowning in Bella. She ground that tight little ass into my crotch and smiled knowingly over her shoulder when she felt my hard-on through my jeans.

_Yeah, baby, see what you're doing to me?_

She took hold of my hands, guiding them up and down her body. I could feel her nipples pebbled through her tight shirt – she was just as turned on as I was. The realisation made my already painfully-hard cock throb. When the song picked up pace, her ass was in my lap once more, grinding and swaying and I didn't want her to ever stop. Ever the tease, she got up again, letting the music take over that perfect little body just like I wanted to. She was smiling fully now, I guessed my face must have been a sight, as she mouthed the words at me and came towards me once again. When the music wound down, my girl almost made me explode right then when she crawled on to my lap, straddling me and wound her arms around my neck.

"Surprise," she purred, before kissing me with every thing she had.

"Holy fuck, Bells, this is the greatest day of my life," I breathed, not taking my eyes off her lips as I spoke.

"It's not over yet," she said, and leaned back and tugged off her t-shirt. Jesus Fucking Christ.

Bella was wearing lingerie. Just for me.

I growled possessively and lifted her up in my arms, chair clattering to the floor as I stood to grind into her against the nearest wall. She moaned in appreciation and I knew I had to take her, right then and there or I'd never forgive myself.

"You planned this whole thing, didn't you," I said, as I suckled on the soft skin at her neck.

"Wanted you to see this body's in full-working-order," she panted. I could smell her arousal already. "Wanna take it for a test drive?"

I didn't need to be asked twice. I'd never had sex before, but enough time in the pack mind would make anyone an expert. We wolves knew _exactly _how to take care of our mates.

There was no way I was breaking contact with her for anything, not even to take off those sexy little shorts covering her sweet ass. I took the hand that was splayed on her back, protecting her from the wall and tugged once, hard, on the waistband. After one loud rip, Bella was left in nothing but her bra and those matching red and black panties, giving me a filthy laugh. I almost lost my mind.

"Honey," I said, struggling for breath. "I promise that later, I'll make slow, hot love to you on your bed, but I'm not waiting any more..." I didn't even get to finish the sentence before I felt her little hand snake into my shorts and take hold of me. I jerked at the surprising contact and growled into her neck. She made short work of the button and zip and I kicked the shorts away behind me. I slipped a finger underneath the side of those little French panties and tugged them out. She was smirking as I looked down at them.

"I like these, they're safe," I said before I snapped the elastic back into her hip. She squeaked from the little sting, but that soon turned into a moan as I pulled her panties to the side and ran my cock slowly up and down her folds, coating myself with her wetness. She was so soaked that her inner thighs were slick with arousal. I looked into her eyes, ready for this next step.

"Do it, Jake," she said, looking directly at me. I can't even describe the feeling as I first pushed into her hot, wet sweetness. She was so tight, I had to squeeze my eyes shut, breathing deeply to summon some of the control I'd learned over the past few years. She let out a low, deep moan and tugged on my hair. It was the sexiest fucking thing I'd ever heard. I pushed in slightly deeper, sensing she needed a chance to adjust to my size. I grinned darkly into her hair as I thought that only one other person had been where I was right now, and it seemed like he hadn't been a match for me.

"So good.." I breathed. "Fuck... you're so warm, so tight..." She took my ear lobe into her mouth and nipped it sharply. The feeling of it caused me to thrust into her for the first time. We both groaned in pleasure._ Fuck, I can't believe I've been missing out on this. _

"Do you like how that feels, Bella? Is this what you wanted me to do to you? Wanted me to fill you up.." I whispered into her ear. She couldn't even answer me, she was so far gone.

I ground into her again, wanting to hear those sexy little moans I knew she had in her. She didn't disappoint, and was barely coherent as I gave her everything I had, over and over. The books on the shelf beside us rattled with the force of our passion, and random ornaments tumbled off and on to the floor. We were past caring.

The strap of Bella's bra fell down her shoulder, and the force of my thrusts had made one hard, pink nipple peek out, tempting me. I took it between my lips, and that seemed to be just what Bella needed to push her over the edge. She cried out in pleasure, and the feeling of her inner muscles clenching round me was my undoing. I grunted as I lost my load inside of her, spilling into her in the most intense orgasm I'd ever had.

It took a long minute before either of us could move, and I just took in the sight of my girl's post-orgasmic glow. She had a light blush covering her face and cleavage, and her hair was stuck to her neck with sweat. Her skin was glistening in the low light. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

I shifted her into one arm, freeing a hand up to brush her hair back and cup her cheek. She was almost werewolf temperature.

"That was... fuck, Bells. You're amazing," I breathed, looking into those big cocoa-coloured eyes. She gave me a lazy smile before kissing me slowly, languidly.

"I always knew it'd be perfect... but that," she said, laying her palms on either side of my face. "Wow..." I knew exactly what she meant. I slipped out of her, setting her back on her feet where she struggled to right her self in the post-sex haze._ Oh yeah._

She smiled shyly as she took in the state of the living room. Discarded clothes, the infamous chair, and various items from the bookshelf littered the floor. "Guess we have some cleaning up to do," she giggled. I scratched the back of my head gingerly as I surveyed the room.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," I chuckled. I turned back around to her and she was giving me _that look _that said she had no intention of doing anything 'clean' right now. I took in Bella, in all her glory, and was instantly hard again when I caught sight of our combined juices soaking her panties. My eyes darkened and I let out a low growl of appreciation.

"Later?" I asked, not sure what the fuck I would do if she said no. She bit her lip and he eyes darted to my growing member.

"Later," she agreed, before grabbing my hand and tugging me in the direction of the stairs.

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><p><strong>AN2: It finally happened! How was it for you? Did any of you watch the clip to get a better idea of what's going on in the scene? I'm always super nervous posting lemons, so reviews if you liked it would be much appreciated, and it encourages me to write more of them.**


	33. Couples' Retreat

_Disclaimer: All__ publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-Three: Couples' Retreat<strong>

It was sunset, and the dimming light on the horizon illuminated the road ahead as the motorcycle I was on zoomed down the dirt track. I could feel the raw power between my legs, sending delighted tingles through my body with its vibration. Out of nowhere, I realised that, despite the fact I was wearing just a thin tank top and boy shorts, I wasn't cold. If anything, it felt like the dozing sun's rays were heating me, surrounding my whole self. I felt safe, protected. I turned a bend in the road, smiling as I kept control of the bike effortlessly. If Jake could see me now, he'd be so proud.

Where was I going, again? Would he be there? A shiver of anticipation hummed through me at the prospect of seeing him. I wanted nothing more in this world than to feel his touch on my skin, bringing me pleasure in ways I'd never thought possible.

A slight movement caught my eye, and I looked down and smiled. That answered my questions. A large, russet hand was snaking its way around my waist, finding my left breast purely on instinct. I could feel warm breath on my neck, soft, open-mouthed kisses leaving a trail of fire on my skin. I whimpered as the hand took a possessive hold, teasing and caressing my nipple through my clothing. Jake's hand continued its journey south. I could feel myself getting more and more aroused as I felt his torturous movements. I struggled to keep my focus on the road ahead as he reached his destination.

Suddenly, all I could hear was the sound of bells.

Bells?

"Bells?" Jake sang breathily into my ear. I opened my eyes slowly. I was in my bed, at home facing the door. What the hell? I was dreaming? Before I let disappointment take hold, I felt a hand slip between my thighs. I looked down and smiled. One part of the dream was real, apparently.

"Were you dreaming about me, Bells?" he teased, his fingers slipping between my folds, caressing my clit softly.

"Maybe," I panted. I don't know where he learned to do that, but I was really damn grateful he had. He continued his warm kisses on the back of my neck, turning my body into goo under his expert ministrations. He chuckled deliciously; I could feel his rigid chest flush against my back.

"You know," he said, pausing to taste the skin behind my ear. "You don't need to dream, I'm right here." _Hell yeah he was_. I found myself arching back into him, giving his free hand better access to my breasts. He teased and stroked them, just tightening the coiled spring in my stomach. "Now, why don't you tell me, Bells, what was I doing in your dream?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't be sure anything I'd say would be actual English. He halted his ministrations, and I whimpered from the loss. "It's only fair I know what's expected of me, don't you think?" he said, continuing his kisses.

"We were...ohh," I began, stopping when his fingers resumed their play time. When I began to moan again, he halted once more. I groaned in frustration. _What the hell was he trying to do to me?_

"Yeah baby? We were..." he prompted curiously.

"We were on my bike," I breathed. He started his relentless teasing again as I spoke. My mind soon made the connection – he was rewarding me for information. I _really_ needed to keep talking. "It was sunset. I was driving, you... behind me," I continued. I could feel him smile against my skin as I relayed the dream.

"Oh yeah? I like the sound of this already... maybe we can try it some day?" he said. I could feel his hardness against my ass as he pulled me ever closer.

"And you were- mmmm..." I trailed off as he dipped a single finger inside me slowly, carefully.

"I was...mmmm... what?" he prodded mischievously. Did he seriously expect me to keep talking when he was doing _that_?

"Touching me," I panted. _Please, for the love of God, keep touching me._

"I was?" he said innocently. "And tell me, Bells, did you like it? Did you enjoy having my hands all over you?" he teased. I couldn't even answer. I was leaning over the precipice and about to explode.

"Should I-" he pulled his finger out from inside me abruptly, "_stop?_"

"No!" I panted, begging for release."Please... Jake..." He couldn't do this to me now.

"Please... what?" he toyed with me.

"Please... let me... come..." I begged, squeezing my eyes shut. He chuckled darkly and resumed his ministrations. I felt the white-hot heat building in my centre. My body erupted in tingles as I clenched around him, moaning embarrassingly loudly in ecstasy.

"As you wish," he whispered in my ear, pressing a kiss to my cheek as I came down from my high.

_Holy crap._

I had just barely recovered when I felt his strong hand slide further down between my legs, nudging them apart. I was like a rag doll, pliable for his desires as he slipped himself inside me from behind. It was a position we hadn't tried yet, and after last night, I knew Jake had an endless supply stored away for later use.

I gasped as he began his slow, languid movements. His hand was still on my breast and he brought the free hand to grab my hip bone, holding me in place for his will.

"Fuck, baby... you feel better every time," he grunted, still close to my ear.

"Sorry for all the teasing," he said breathily. "But I woke up, and your little ass was grinding in to me. You had me so hard for you, Honey, and you weren't even awake."

His confession sent a fresh wave of arousal right to my core.

"See what you do to me baby? I can't think of anything but what it feels like to be inside you," he continued. I could _definitely_ relate to the feeling.

His movements increased as he suckled the tender skin at the juncture of my neck, his breath fanning across my collar bone, adding to the heat already driving me insane. If this was what waking up to Jake was like, when could we move in together?

I was already dangerously close to orgasm number two when Jake's body shuddered and he spilled himself within me. The erotic sounds he made as he came was enough to send me following him straight after.

I turned in his arms to face him, still catching my breath, to take in the triumphant smirk adorning his features.

"Two orgasms before breakfast, Bells. Think that's pretty standard?" he drawled, knowing damn well it wasn't. I cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at him and shifted over to share his pillow.

"I think so," I purred, "I mean, it's what I'll be expecting from now on, anyway." the grin I got in reply would have blinded the slowly-rising sun.

"Challenge accepted," he replied.

An hour later and we'd managed to make it all the way downstairs in search of breakfast. We never did make it back to the living room to clean up, and I smiled in memory as I took in the state of the place as we passed on our way to the kitchen. Jake seemed to be having the same idea as I heard a filthy chuckle coming from him behind me as he followed.

"Maybe we should hire a maid when we have our own place. I don't think we'll have much time for being domestic," he said. I turned back to look at him to see the shit-eating grin he wore. It gave my stomach butterflies to hear him talking about our future, even if he was joking. At least, I think he was.

"Yeah, you say that now, wait until we're parents," I teased. Jake stopped abruptly in the kitchen doorway and just stared at me. I turned to look at him and was shocked to see his face actually go pale. I spun fully to face him.

"What's wrong, Jake?" I asked. His sudden drop in mood was putting me on edge.

"K-kids... Bella... fuck! I'm so fucking stupid, I didn't even think! It was the surprise and then you were dancing for me and I just completely forgot..." he rambled. He had a hand pressed to the top of his head and his eyes were wide and vacant, not looking at anything at all. What the hell was he so worked up about?

"Jake," I soothed, moving over in front of him, grabbing his chin so he'd look at me."What the hell are you talking about?"

"Protection, Bells!" he spluttered, "I never used protection!" He began pacing after that, muttering to himself about "_had the talk a hundred times" _and_ "Sam and Billy" _and "_too young to support a kid yet... need a great job so the baby can go to college". _I just smiled at him, touched by his internal planning, needless though it was. It was sweet, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to have a little fun with it. Typical guy, he was, getting distracted by sex and only worrying about the consequences later.

"Shit, Jake," I mocked innocently. "What are we going to do?" I had my face trained into a wide-eyed fearful look that he matched when he looked at me. He grabbed my hands and looked at me earnestly.

"I swear to you, Bells, I'll fix this. I'll drive to the pharmacy right now for Plan B and a jumbo box of condoms," he said, and I tried so hard not to laugh at how seriously he could talk about jumbo boxes of contraception. "If, whatever reason that doesn't work, I promise you I'll take care of you. I'll get a bank loan, start a garage, hopefully it will be up and running by the time the baby comes. Maybe Quil could go into business with me, I'm not sure what else he has planned, but he's a good mechanic..." he was pacing again Okay, now it was just getting mean. A loud splutter of laughter escaped me and I doubled over, holding on to the back of a chair for balance. Jake looked at me as if 'Pregnancy Brain' was affecting me already. I wiped a tear of mirth from my eye as I looked back up at his worried face.

"Oh my God, I can't do this any more, it's too mean," I panted, trying to regain control of my voice. He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Jake... I've been on the pill since we were first together. We were headed down this road and I thought it was only smart to be prepared," I said. Relief washed over his face at that and the beginnings of a smile tugged at his features. "I've only slept with one other person, once, we had the 'previous partners' talk and he wore a condom, so it's not like I have anything. Not that you can get sick anyway," I smiled. He sat down heavily on the chair.

"Jesus Christ, Bells, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!"

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for getting carried away and not asking," I said, tugging his hair lightly in reprimand. "Didn't you think I would have at least thought about this?" He narrowed his eyes, grinning at me and rose to his feet.

"Alright, smartie-pants, let's see how clever you are when I punish you for messing with me." He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, fireman style and smacked my butt where it peeked out from under his plaid shirt.

"Jake!" I squeaked, "Put me down!" He shook his head adamantly as he strode over to the couch and threw me on it.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere until I get a little revenge first," he said, grinning darkly as he hovered over me for another round.

Guess breakfast would have to wait.

Cooking with Jake was always fun, but I was having an even better time that morning as we prepared our food. I could hear him cursing under his breath and sucking in a gasp every time I reached for something out of our top cupboards and he got a view of his shirt riding up, exposing my rear-end. I wasn't exactly sure if we'd make it through the whole meal.

We had just about set the table when the front door swung open, and I heard Alex curse loudly.

"What the fuck happened in here? A localised earthquake?" A low whistle from Embry came after that and he laughed as they approached the kitchen.

"Ah, looks like my boy finally entered the grown-up club," he smirked, and his grin was matched by Jake when they caught sight of each other. Alex took in our state of under-dress and smiled.

"Jake liked his surprise, then?" she asked, cocking a knowing eyebrow. Jacob nodded enthusiastically in reply.

"Best surprise ever," he winked at me. Embry looked between us in confusion.

"Surprise?" he asked. Jake's eyes widened at his chance to brag a little.

"Dude, got a call from Leah last night, telling me Bells needed to see me. She answered the door wearing that-" he pointed to my discarded shirt on the floor, "and she gave me the freakin' lap-dance from Death Proof." Embry's eyes widened in reverence.

"Dude," he said, raising his hand to offer Jake a high-five. Jake returned it enthusiastically.

"I know," he replied to his friend. Embry looked at me with what could only be described as awe.

"Well done, Swan," he said. I couldn't help but blush at him in return. If these were normal circumstances, I probably would have been pissed that my boyfriend was openly discussing our sex life with his friend – in front of me, no less. But my life was far from normal and Embry and the other guys would have known within the week, anyway. Alex suddenly shrieked as she picked up a torn piece of fabric from the ground.

"Are these my shorts? They're ruined!" she squealed. She smacked Jake in the stomach with the remains of them. "You couldn't take five extra seconds to pull them off the normal way?" He just looked at her sheepishly and smiled.

"I didn't know they were yours, Alex. Sorry... got carried away," he apologised. She smirked at his answer.

"Yeah, well, I'll know not to let Bella borrow anything in future," she conceded.

"What are you guys doing over here so early anyway?" I asked, putting on more food as Embry hungrily eyed Jake's breakfast. It was still strange that Alex was up before noon – I guessed Em's influence was having a good effect on her; she'd even cut down on smoking.

"There's that Concert on The Pier thing in Port Angeles going on today, we were wondering if maybe you guys wanted to check it out – if we can get you out of the house, that is," she teased, giving Jake a knowing smile. I hadn't really thought about it, but the chance to do a regular, couple thing with Jake and our friends was really appealing. I looked at Jake hopefully, I wasn't even aware if he was busy today. She smiled warmly at me and kissed my forehead.

"I was supposed to patrol this afternoon, but I guess I can reshuffle some things around," he said, searching the living room for his cell.

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><p>A while later, Alex and I were lounging in the back seat of Embry's car, bare feet hanging out the window with sunglasses on, playing air guitar along to the ACDC song blaring through the speakers. I looked at my best friend, the wind making her hair billow out and the excited smile over her beautiful face before she stuck her tongue out at me. Embry was sneaking pleased glances back at her in the rear-view mirror while Jake sorted through his CD collection, complaining that he didn't own anything released after 1991. I fished my crappy digital camera from my bag and snapped a few photos. I knew this was a day I'd want to remember, and I didn't want to miss a second of it.

Alex and I leaned in for a cheeky picture, and I marvelled at how we looked together. Although we had different hair and features, she was built just like me and had the same pale skin as I did. We could have been sisters; I certainly felt like she was the sister I'd never had, and I couldn't see a future for me where she wasn't a huge part of it. Taking a photo of the guys in the front, heads banging in time to the beat and crowing the lyrics, I laughed at their nerdy ways. In that moment, it really hit me. Although nobody's life is truly perfect, mine was pretty damn close, and I wouldn't change a single thing.

We spent the day enjoying the music and rare sunshine in Port Angeles. We walked around the stalls set up for the festival-goers and I took a stack of photos I knew I'd treasure for a lifetime. Alex and Embry had reached a closeness in their relationship, and one look at them laying comfortably in the grass told even a stranger that what they had was for keeps. As for Jake and I, the new physical intimacy we'd shared meant we couldn't keep our hands off each other. We were constantly touching, holding hands, sneaking kisses throughout our blissful day. We made it a surprising amount of hours on corn-dogs, ice-cream and candy floss before the guys' stomachs started to rumble loudly, and we laughingly went off in search of somewhere to eat.

The diner we chose had a vintage charm about it, and wouldn't have looked out of place in an old movie, the evening's custom steadily filtering in and out. The guys, of course just liked the prospect of cheap food and lots of it. I sat back, rubbing my full stomach when a vibration from my bag signalled an incoming call. My heart sank when I took in the caller ID: Josh. In the hectic weeks following my shooting, I'd forgotten to call him back as Alex promised and felt slightly guilty for leaving him wondering how I was. With Jake deep in conversation with Em about the Mariners, I bit my lip and looked to Alex nervously. She frowned in confusion as I answered and held the phone to my ear.

"Bella, it's so good to hear your voice, I've been so worried about you," he gushed.

"That's really sweet of you, Josh, but I'm really fine. I'm actually having a really nice day out with my friends," I said. Jake's head spun round at the mention of Josh's name and jealousy flared in his gaze.

"So glad to hear that, Bella! Are you staying in Washington for the summer? There's an off-Broadway play I think you'd love to see, but if you're not going to be back in NYC before August..." he prodded. I looked around the table and smiled.

"That sounds great, but I'm pretty sure I'm staying here with my friends, maybe we could go see something when the semester starts though?" I bargained. It didn't feel good letting him down, but there was no way I'd give up a summer with Jake for anything.

"That's too bad, I just saw the posters and thought of you; it looks far too serious and pretentious and it's just begging to be made fun of," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Well, it sounds like you're having a pretty busy day, so I'll let you get back to it. I have to get down to the university anyway – guess who's Professor Richards' Teaching assistant for the summer period?"

I spluttered a laugh at that.

"Are you kidding me? God, how can you stand spending any more time with the Old Hippie than you need to?" I giggled.

"I know, but if it helps me with my Senior year, I'll do anything, Too bad he's not into dudes, it would probably be much easier," he deadpanned. I laughed again despite the angry frown Jake was shooting my way.

"Okay, Josh, good luck with that, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" He laughed huskily in reply.

"I'm sure that doesn't leave much. Bye, Bella," he said before hanging up. Jake shot me a death glare and I frowned in response.

"Jake, what is with you? You know we're just friends," I admonished. His gaze fell to the table in front of him and he shook his head.

"Just friends, yeah, like you and I are _just friends?_" he snapped, turning back to me. "Because I didn't hear you referring to me as your boyfriend in that conversation. Does he even know we're back together?" The hurt in his voice was tangible. _Crap._

"Jake, I'm sorry, I didn't even realise-" I began as he got up and walked towards the back of the diner. I looked back to Embry and Alex and they were trying not to meet my gaze. I felt like such an idiot for ruining our perfect day.

"I swear I didn't even notice I hadn't said anything." They both looked at me apologetically.

"Think you need to tell him that, Bells," Embry said as Alex nodded in agreement.

I got up and walked in the direction Jake went, finding just two doors to the bathrooms – one for "Rockabillys" and one for "Rockabettys". Glancing inside the ladies' room, I could see that there was just one toilet and sink, no cubicles. I waited outside the men's room door for a beat, before calling out to Jake gingerly.

"Jake...I'm really sorry. I know how that must have looked to you, but I swear it was unintentional. Next time I talk to Josh, I'll tell him all about us, I promise," I pleaded. There was no reply. I huffed out a sigh and leaned against the men's room door in defeat. How much of an idiot would jeopardise what Jake and I had?

Suddenly, the door opened behind me and a large warm hand was placed over my mouth, muffling the strangled squeak I let out. The door slammed shut, and I was plunged into darkness.

My heart was pounding, and it was only the comforting scent of Jake that stopped me from struggling. He pinned my front roughly against the door, pressing his nose to my neck and inhaling deeply. His hand snaked inside my shorts and underwear, laying a possessive grasp over my rapidly dampening mound.

"Did you get this wet for _him, _Bells? Hmm?" he growled into my ear. "Tell me if anyone else has ever made you feel this way." I was gasping for air as he tugged my shorts and panties down my legs.

"You're so turned on for me, baby, and I haven't even done anything yet," he said triumphantly. I couldn't even argue with him if I wanted to, he could feel the evidence for himself.

"Did you dream about him, too, Bells? Fantasize about his touch?" he teased, "I'm gonna take a guess and say no..." his hands ran over my quivering body possessively, and I didn't want to move in case he stopped.

"See, the way I see it," he continued, slipping a finger between my folds and touching me intimately, "You're _mine..._" He ground his hard length into the cleft of my behind. "No other man will get to touch you-" he curled a long finger inside me as I gasped, "Or taste you," he took my ear lobe into his mouth and suckled sharply, "As long as I'm around."

He turned me around to face him and crashed his lips to mine. His tongue plundered the depths of my mouth, and I raised my weak arms to wrap around his neck as he lifted me to his height. He pulled away from the kiss and started nipping at the tender flesh of my neck.

"I'm gonna show you, right now, who this body belongs to," he said between nips. He pressed his nose to mine, and I guessed he was searching my eyes in the darkness. "And you're going to let me, aren't you honey?" he asked.

"Ye-yes," I whimpered. I was so damn turned on that speech was getting difficult. He let out a dark chuckle as he carried me over and set me down on something cold – the sink. I shivered in anticipation as I heard his zipper being opened, his shorts falling to the floor soon after. He grabbed my left thigh possessively and hooked it up over his hip, before plunging into me so suddenly, I gasped.

"That's right baby," he groaned, tracing his lips over my forehead. "Take all of me in." His first thrust was almost my undoing. He was driving me crazy and I didn't care.

"Now, Bells... now that you can feel me... every inch of me inside you, tell me... who does you body belong to?" He punctuated his sentence with another delicious thrust.

"You..." I moaned. "Only you.." I was struggling for air and stars were dancing across my limited vision. An approving growl vibrated in his chest and his hands moved under the cheeks of my ass as he held me in place, thrusting into me over and over.

"Good girl," he praised. "Are you ever going to forget that?"

"No... fuck... no," was my reply. He chuckled darkly again and kissed my lips.

"Someone's got a dirty mouth when they're getting thoroughly _fucked_, huh?" I couldn't find it in me to be embarrassed, and his fingers grabbed at my hair, pulling my head back and exposing my neck to his mouth. My entire body was shaking, just needing release and I knew that no matter what, Jake was going to give it to me. My body was all his, and, as far as I was concerned, he could do whatever the hell he pleased with it.

His mouth covered mine in an effort to muffle the loud moans coming from me, and he bit sharply down on my bottom lip, making me writhe even more in pleasure.

The coiled spring of need in the pit of my stomach released, and I came – hard - around his pulsing member, his own grunts of ecstasy not far behind.

I laid my exhausted head on his chest and I felt him smile into my hair.

"Don't think we need to have this conversation again. Do you?" he said. I shook my head in agreement and laughed.

"Think I'll have to piss you off, more often though..." I said. Especially if this was my punishment.

I had barely gotten my bearings and re-dressed my lower half when a knock came on the door.

"Guys, I'm _really _sorry if I'm interrupting anything..." Embry called through the partition apologetically, "But Sam called me, he said he couldn't get through to you, Jake. It's Emily, she's having contractions! We gotta go now! Pup's on the way!"

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><p><strong>AN: Think I've realised that I'm better at writing smut from the girl's POV. What do you think?**

**Who else wants Jake for their next birthday? It's only fair if Bella shares a little...**


	34. Tonight, We Are Young

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-Three: Tonight, We Are Young<strong>

**(Epilogue Part One)**

It was the first time Bella had seen the pack all together since her visit the previous Christmas, and the multitude of warm bodies in the small, hospital waiting room was an imposing presence. The sense of family, of belonging was one she never truly believed she'd achieve, growing up as the only child of a single mother, desperate to fit in. They were assembled for a momentous event – the birth of the first in the next generation of the pack. It was a long labour, and shifts were taken to update absentees once the nurses on duty had grown frustrated with the size of the crowd gathered. At 5:36 am, the first day of July, Levi Uley Jr came howling into the world, a strapping boy of almost eleven pounds. His parents fell in love instantly.

Sam, normally his stoic self, was an emotional waterfall, breaking into proud tears every time he looked at his son. Emily simply offered weak smiles – exhausted after her long ordeal, but a proud and contented mother, as she was born to be.

Paul was half expected to tease his friend for wearing his feelings so openly, until Bella caught sight of him wiping a stray tear from his eye as he held the little bundle in his muscular embrace. Rachel told him not to even think about it – she was getting at least two more bikini summers under her belt before she would carry Paul Lahote's _'spawn'._ Jacob told her four summers was better.

Quil and Seth were the object of a stony glare from the new daddy as they joked about being his cool uncles who sneaked him beer and got him laid once he hit puberty. Emily was pretty sure they'd still be at the same emotional maturity as Levi by then, anyway.

Alex and Embry celebrated the arrival of new life by disappearing into the parking lot, steaming up the windows from the back seat of his car for the umpteenth time. They were asked to leave the premises by security.

Jared and Kim, waiting until Emily and Sam could have their day, found they could no longer wait, and announced that she was expecting. The second member of the next generation was already on the way. Her cravings were, at that time, limited to peanut butter and nachos. Jared kept a stash in his truck at all times.

Bella, never much the brooding type, was almost sure she had felt her ovaries glow at the sight of the tiny baby nestled in the crook of Jake's arm, his voice tender as he whispered _'hello'_, and _'welcome to the pack, little kwoli'_. He locked eyes with her and she knew he was thinking the same thing. She counted how many years it would be before she could finish college, get a job, and they could try for their own. She had that vision on the mountain-top to fulfil, after all.

Aunt Leah fell in love with her new 'nephew', owing his good looks to Emily, since she '_came from a good-looking family'_, of course. She had thought it would be too difficult to see her former lover in such a state of bliss, but instead found herself hoping for the future, for the day she would find someone to have a child with. They would adopt, try alternative therapies, maybe even become foster parents – it didn't matter, Leah knew she was going to be a mom one day, and she was going to be a pretty damn good one, too.

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><p>Bella's twenty-first birthday was celebrated in Port Angeles – she and Alex decided that partying in New York could never compare to the fun they could have with their very own pack of wolves. Collin and Brady protested at being left behind to patrol, but Jacob insisted that he was not going to see them end up on Sixteen and Pregnant with some poor, unsuspecting girls; and they would if they got a taste of the clubbing scene. Jacob himself, along with Quil had become more familiar with the town, having both begun a part-time business degree at Peninsula College, looking forward to opening their very own garage. Alex and Bella were the only two carded on the club door on the night, the rest of their group smugly sauntering in as if they owned the place.<p>

The dance floor was overtaken by warm bodies, and the bartender had to make frequent trips to the basement to replenish his stocks. A pack this size could drink the place dry, if they wanted to.

A blushing Bella was coerced into doing body-shots off an overly pleased Jacob. She decided the tequila salt tasted better off his abs, anyway.

Quil and a newly-single Seth had a gaggle of cheerleader-types eating out of the palm of their hands, that is, until little Seth Clearwater locked eyes with one of the podium dancers, imprinting on her immediately and losing his virginity in the club's bathroom less than two hours later. He insisted afterwards that she wasn't a stripper, she was Alison, a trainee nurse in the first year of her degree at the local college, just trying to earn some extra cash. Leah still wouldn't let him live it down.

Bella found that her embarrassment wasn't over when Embry and Alex laughingly requested 'Down In Mexico' by The Coasters, dedicating it to her. Jacob danced sensuously up against her with lust in his eyes, wondering if she'd be mad if he suggested getting a cab home before the night was over.

Jared spent most of the night consoling a hormonal Kim, who was paranoid that Bella was angry with her for not being able to partake in the drinking and celebrations. He didn't have the heart to tell her that Bella was already too drunk to care.

Similarly, Sam had a hard time prying Emily's cell phone away from her. The new mother was having separation anxiety and was convinced that her Aunt Sue would forget something vitally important. She slapped him when he dropped her phone in a glass of vodka, but she forgave him when he assured her that his phone was still switched on and that he'd buy her a new one the next morning. She agreed, finally, to a dance.

Paul, Forks' newest police officer since taking the GED two years previous and approaching Charlie for advice on training, was taking his new role in the community too seriously. Rachel confiscated his badge after he carded three guys in the line for the men's room. He was on a power trip, and loving it, even though it he was off-duty. An argument almost erupted, until they remembered that his handcuffs still hadn't been broken in. They slinked off early without saying goodbye.

Leah sat confidently on a stool with her back to the bar, as one after the other, a string of men attempted to capture her attention. No-one was successful until Jason, a Junior Executive with a filthy smile and a silver tongue whispered sexily in her ear. He ordered her signature drink without asking and suggested they go back to his apartment three blocks away. She acted offended, even though she was tempted, and threatened to break his nose. He laughed and dared her to. She didn't, and they went out on their first official date the following Friday.

Bella didn't like how a certain blonde tramp had been eyeing her man, and in her drunken state, straddled Jake possessively on one of the plush couches, ravaging his mouth with hers, pulling his hair and making sure that it was obvious to any onlookers that he was very much taken. When she was done, he actually had a blush staining his cheeks and he found it difficult to stand, dishevelled hair, glazed eyes and all. Jake hadn't truthfully noticed the blonde girl, but he decided that Drunk And Jealous Bella was even better than Just-out-of-Bed Bella he loved so much already.

Embry and Alex were in a fight. She had been giving him the cold shoulder since he started the Fall semester at U-Dub. He wanted to continue for a year being Jake's Beta, and New York would have been too far away. The fight had culminated that morning in having angry sex, and they used the night at the club to flirt with other single people and shove it in each other's faces. It was when Alex sneaked out for a drunken cigarette that Embry finally confronted her, and made her a deal. If she quit smoking for good, he would transfer for his Sophomore year to NYU. Alex agreed, and kissed him. Hard. He smiled into her lips, thinking how he planned to do that anyway, but this way he got something else he wanted; Alex, healthy _and _happy.

Quil, not letting the night go to waste when he was down a wing-man, found himself getting carried away and by yelling "Wooooo! This is my Jam!" and beginning his own - extremely lame - strip-tease to Duran Duran's 'Hungry like The Wolf', right in front of the bar and the cheering girls. He was ejected from the club before his Love Machine boxers came off.

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><p>Halloween brought Jacob and Embry to The Big Apple to visit their girls. A party was planned, and the guys spent the day trying to find out what outfits they could expect that night. The girls weren't budging.<p>

Bella brought Jacob to meet Frank, her favourite purveyor of donuts and coffee outside the library, proudly introducing him as the guy she was still hung up on the first day they'd met. She explained how they'd overcome everything and were now hopelessly in love, and she thanked Frank for helping her through some of her toughest times in the city. Frank shook Jacob's hand respectfully, before pulling him aside and giving him a talk that made Charlie Swan's "Don't Hurt My Baby Girl" speech look like child's play. Jacob didn't want to admit he was actually scared, but took the warning good-naturedly and suggested they go somewhere else. Fast.

Jacob's eyes popped out of his head when Bella walked out of her bedroom of the apartment she now shared with Alex dressed in a plain white baby-doll dress, red, patent leather heels, and a hooded crimson cloak pulled over her 1940's pin curls. Her lipstick matched her shoes, and she was the perfect combination of faux-innocent and dangerous. His wolf howled in approval. She was little Red Riding Hood, and he was going to eat her up.

The party went extremely well until Josh showed up, dressed as a cowboy. Jacob, dressed as Dastan from Prince of Persia complete with weaponry was a striking presence. The two men had an old fashioned staring contest before they shook hands stiffly, Jacob reining back the urge to break his fingers and Bella played peacekeeper, directing the conversation to less aggravating subjects. Bella breathed a sigh of relief when Josh moved off to mingle, and forgot about his presence until later, when she caught Jake growling in his direction – Josh had been eyeing her legs, apparently. It took her, French Maid Alex and Embry (painted green – he'd come as the Incredible Hulk, saying he could relate to the transformations and ripped clothing) to calm him down. Jacob eventually got a hold on his temper, and insisted that he and Bella lock themselves in her bedroom for a while, unbeknownst to the rest of the revellers. It was only fair that he be rewarded for being '_such a good puppy_', he said.

He found out her lipstick matched her panties, too.

The trip to New York ended in a difficult goodbye for Bella and Jacob, both finding it hard to be without the other. Jake vowed to himself that he would propose to Bella that Christmas, planning to be married the summer she graduated college. He was done waiting. He and Bella were going to be together for life, what was the point in delaying the obvious? He wouldn't push her into a lavish ceremony like the Cullens did – the pack, a few family members and some friends on the beach was enough for them.

He went to ask Charlie's permission the day he got back. Charlie granted it ecstatically, after checking that Bella wasn't pregnant first, of course. He revealed he would be thrilled to have Jacob as a son in law, and was looking forward to being a Grandpa, but he was still too young for that, and if there were any 'wolfie grandbabies', they were Jake's problem.

Jake counted down the days until Christmas. This year, with any luck, he would be receiving the best present of all. Bells would agree to be his forever.

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><p><strong>AN: This is the first part of a three-part epilogue to the story. There was so much I wanted to cover, which wouldn't have been enough material for full chapters by themselves without being just filler. I chose third person point of view, because Bella as a narrator or even Jacob couldn't focus on that many simultaneous lives at once.**

**I hope you enjoyed this, and that you'll enjoy the others. The titles of the epilogues are lines from the song "We Are Young" by Fun. Featuring Janelle Monae.**

**I'm actually so sad this story is ending. I feel like it could go on forever, but I have to draw the line at some point, then it just goes into overkill.**

**I have a new story in the works called Regression – it's mostly Jacob POV and it's a J/B mystery story. If you start feeling withdrawl from my daily updates, there's always that. Head over to my page to see for yourself!**


	35. Let's Set The World On Fire

_Disclaimer:__All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-Five: Let's Set The World On Fire<strong>

**(Epilogue Part 2)**

Jacob bought the Ateara's store out of candles. Joy smirked as she made a jibe about his romantic nature, but he was too nervous to reply, instead opting for a smile and a non-committal answer. He was picking Bella up from the airport that night – it was the day before Christmas Eve, and only when he was phased did he not carry Sarah Black's engagement ring on his person. It was simple, princess-cut on a white-gold band. Perfect for Bella, who never welcomed any fuss or fanfare. Perfect for tribe royalty, befitting the wife of the future chief she would hopefully become. He'd told his study partner at college, Laura about his plans, just to run it by another girl. She'd squeaked and cooed and told him he was adorable, and that if Bella said no, she was a fool. Billy told him he was foolish to be nervous, but Jacob knew Bella's feelings on marriage. He wanted her to say yes because _she _wanted to, not because she was afraid that saying no would change their relationship. Jacob would stay with her as a live-in partner for life if that was what she wanted – he just wanted her.

Embry was put under an order not to mention anything to Alex. Jake knew what gossips those two were, and was trying to keep the element of surprise on his side. Embry told him, too, that he was being ridiculous – Bella would marry him in a heartbeat, but Jacob didn't take anything for granted when it came to Bella. He would never take her for granted – they'd both worked too damn hard and been through far too much to get here.

Bella was nervous. She'd hardly spoken to Jacob in the past two weeks. Their webchats and phone conversations were clipped and never delved deeper than mundane, every day topics. It felt like he was pulling away from her. Maybe the distance was more than he'd bargained for? Jacob was a physical person, always touching, holding and kissing. Maybe he was growing frustrated that she was always somewhere else? He was in college now. There had to be a long line of girls checking him out, imagining themselves with him. It was stupid to assume that he and Quil wouldn't attract a lot of attention – they were Gods among men. He'd mentioned this girl, Laura more than once. Bella had yet to meet her, but decided she hated her already. Laura went to college with Jacob, got to see him every day. Bella got a ten minute call every night before bed.

She was about to leave for the airport when she texted Jake. His reply sounded less than excited, but he assured her he would be at the airport, just like they arranged. Alex walked in as Bella's eyes were welling up with tears, and went into that fierce lioness mode that made everyone love her so much. Alex told her that if Jake couldn't handle long distance, that was his problem, but Bella shouldn't give in without a fight. Bella did some lingerie shopping at the airport before she caught her flight. If Jake was missing her that much, she was going to give him some memories that would have his blood boiling until spring break.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw him in the arrival's lounge. He was dressed in low-slung jeans, boots, and a fitted forest-green shirt she'd never seen before. It was always the same reaction when she caught sight of him after some time apart. It only renewed her resolve. If Jacob's eyes were wandering, she was going to make damn sure that he never wanted to look at another girl again. She ran towards him but he stood stiffly, watching her, his hands behind his back. She felt her heart sink at the prolonged distance. Was he really going to break up with her, after everything, and at a fucking airport, no less? She couldn't hide the smile of relief as he held out a sprig of mistletoe when she reached him, refusing to give her his customary, bone-crushing hug until she laid one on him. She compromised by jumping into his arms, and giving him a kiss that had him adjusting those low-slung jeans and wondering if there was time for a quick stop-off on their ride home.

Much to her disappointment, he dropped her off straight at Charlie's, kissing her softly before abruptly pulling away and promising to come back the next day – they were swapping presents on Christmas Eve, after all. She tried not to protest, she really did, but his hot-and-cold behaviour was making her uneasy, and she stormed out of his car, slamming the door behind her and dragging the suitcase up the front steps. He knew from experience that helping her would be ill-advised, so he just sat watching her disappear inside, and huffed out a sigh. He knew he was confusing her, and he hated it, but everything wasn't in place yet. Their relationship was far from perfect, but his proposal had to be. He texted her when he got home, just to make sure she wasn't too angry at him.

_Bells, I know you're mad at me right now, but I promise, I'll make everything better tomorrow. Are we still on for exchanging presents at sunset?_

Her reply was a long time coming, and he almost wore a hole in Sarah Black's hand-woven rug as Billy watched him pace with amusement, but Bella never could sleep on a fight, and she relented.

_Yeah we are. But you better have a damn good excuse for all this weird behaviour, Jacob Black. So help me, I'll set Alex and Leah on you._

_I do, I swear. See you tomorrow, Bells. I love you._

_I love you too, you ass.x_

Jacob slept uneasily that night. There was still so much to organise, and although he trusted the guys, he had a niggling feeling that they'd pick this defining moment in his life to pull a prank on him. Especially Quil. He decided an Alpha order was necessary. He'd never taken advantage of his position in the pack, but this was too damn important to take a chance on. Embry had understood his need for reassurance with the order not to tell Alex, and he just hoped that the rest of the guys would too. He called a pack meeting around noon the next day. The guys were irritated at being pulled away from their imprints and family for most of Christmas Eve, but they knew Jacob wouldn't relax until he was sure everything was in place. He went through the instructions for sunset again, making sure they all knew their place and dismissed them. He would have to get himself ready to go to Bella's soon anyway.

He arrived at her house in Embry's car at three-thirty. Embry drove, and attempted to assuage his friend's nerves with jokes, but Jacob was too deep in thought to acknowledge him much. He knocked on the Swan's front door, and was greeted by Charlie, already on his third egg-nog of the evening and with a pink blush to his face. Jacob finally recognised where Bella got it from. Charlie whispered none-too-quietly that Bella had been in a crappy mood all day, but he'd kept Jacob's secret and she didn't suspect a thing. Jacob breathed a sigh of relief – in all his worries about the pack, he hadn't taken into account Charlie Swan's alcohol-loosened tongue.

Bella came down the stairs, a look of worry on her features as she studied him. Jacob was too taken aback by her outfit to notice much. She wore a teal-green mini dress teamed with black tights an knee-high black boots. Her skin appeared to glow and her eyes were bright and doe-like, and Jacob prayed for the tenth time that day that she'd agree to be his wife. She carried a thin, silver envelope in one hand and beckoned him back up the stairs towards her room. He kissed her as soon as they were inside – an entire day of her being in the same town but still not close enough was too much for him. She pulled away and smiled dreamily, wishing him a Merry Christmas. They moved to sit on the bed, and Jacob noticed another package, also wrapped in silver, sitting by her pillow. He frowned, thinking the envelope had been intended for him, but said nothing, This was Bella's moment, and he'd get his later. She handed him the package, smiling knowingly as he unwrapped it to reveal a white, short-sleeved aviator shirt in his size, complete with flying stripes on the epaulets. He frowned, confused for a moment before a devilish smile dawned on his face.

"Got a certain fantasy I don't know about, Bells?" She just giggled and handed him the envelope. Inside, was a certificate of purchase for a course of pilot lessons. Jacob Black was going to learn to fly.

"I thought, since you're always saying you'll be tied to La Push, you should have a way to escape this place when it all gets too much. You won't have to phase and have everyone eavesdropping on your thoughts, and a plane can take you much further than a car ever could."

Jacob beamed at her. It was perfect. She was perfect. His inquisitive mind had an appreciation for all feats of engineering and aircraft were high on that list. He took her into his arms and kissed her, once, twice before they melted into a passionate haze and forgot that Jake was meant to be following a schedule. He broke the kiss and stood, unbuttoning his shirt and pants and freeing his naked body for her hungry gaze. He smirked at the obvious reaction in her, but they didn't have time for that now. The sun was approaching the horizon, and he had to get to La Push.

"Sorry baby, I'd kill to be able to thank you properly right now, but you haven't got your present yet, and we're on a time constraint."

Bella's heart sank, but she was too curious to protest much. He went towards the window before turning back, kissing her, and telling her that Embry was waiting outside to take her to her surprise. He leapt out and she caught sight of a russet tail and back paws disappearing between the trees.

Jacob's best friend loyally gave nothing away, instead singing along obnoxiously with Christmas songs on the radio in place of answering her questions. Bella wanted to demand an answer from him, but knew that Jake had obviously put a lot of work into whatever this was, and Embry was only following orders. He pulled to a stop on the side of the road, offering her his hand as he opened the car door for her. Bella looked around confusedly. She didn't recognise this place, and there didn't appear to be anything around for miles except for the sprawling forest, but she trusted these boys with her life, and had before, on many occasions. Embry simply gave her that half-smile that said he knew all the secrets of the world, and led her to the tree-line. He let her hand go, moving back towards his car, and a momentary panic overcame her. It was really dark in the forest, did they expect her to walk around here alone when it was going to be night-time soon?

A movement in the trees frayed her heightened nerves, but she was soon relieved when Seth came into view, smiling adorably and holding what looked to be her winter coat. She opened her mouth to ask him what was going on, but he simply held a finger to his lips, and opened the jacket for her to put on. She complied, and they linked arms as he led her through the forest, Seth's keen eyesight diverting her from upturned roots and rocks which would have meant a sprained ankle for his Alpha's beloved. They hiked for around fifteen minutes, before Bella caught sight of a flickering light in the trees. They had been moving uphill, and the place started to look familiar. Seth loosened his arm, prompting her to walk ahead.

A pathway had been marked out with candles on tiki-posts, leading still upwards to where she could see no more trees, only the soft pink of the horizon. She forged on curiously, until her heart warmed to the sight of Jacob, wearing suit-pants and a crisp white shirt, standing on the edge of a ridge, barefoot, with his back to her – his silhouette a stark, regal contrast against the sun-burst sky. He turned slowly, smiling with more love in his eyes than Bella had ever seen and strode to meet her. In his hands, he held a carved wooden chest, around the size of a shoe-box, with an image of a wolf leaping across the lid. Bella's breath hitched as she took in the sight of it. It was beautiful and intricate, and she knew instinctively that it been the work of his very own hands.

"Thought you needed a more permanent place to keep all those treasures I gave you," he said, looking into her eyes. She smiled happily, and pulled him down for a kiss, the box in his hand the only barrier between their bodies.

"It's beautiful, Jake, I'll treasure it forever."

He took her hand, leading her towards the ridge he'd been standing on. She recognised it now. It was changed from time and the lack of sunlight, but she knew it to be the cliff – the cliff where, on one terrible day, back when she'd been broken, when she had nothing in her chest but an empty space, she'd jumped. She'd almost ended her life that day. How things had changed – now she was standing on it with her soulmate, the very person who'd saved her, and who had offered her his own life in place of the one she'd almost lost. He stood to her left, turned to her and capturing her gaze once more so that she'd soon forgotten about taking in the spectacular view. How had she gone so long without truly seeing this man, this protector, the keeper of her heart? He was all she wanted to see now. He dipped his head towards the box in his hands, and dropped to one knee. She gasped. He couldn't be, could he? The space left by his movement drew her attention to the beach, far behind him, across the water and no longer blocked by his broad chest. On it, dark figures stood, proud and unified. In front of them, candles flickered in the cold December wind. She realised they were spelling out something. She realised Jacob's question.

_Marry me, Bells? _

She looked to the man in front of her. His eyes were hesitant and hopeful as he opened the lid of the wooden box and inside, nestled on red silk, was a simple, white-gold engagement ring.

"What do you say, Bella? We're young, and we're not finished college, and we live apart, but it's not forever. What we have is forever." He gazed intently into her eyes, meaning every single word. He smiled softly as he wiped a tear from her cheek. "I want to live with you, fight with you, make up, have babies, be your husband. I want to grow old with you I want to call you my wife and let the whole world know that we belong to each other. I belong to you, Bella. No-one else has ever come close. Will you marry me?"

Bella's tears were coming full-force now as a sob choked the air from her lungs. She couldn't speak, so she nodded. Jacob's eyebrows rose in hopeful trepidation.

"Yeah?"

Bella took long, shuddering breaths, trying to regain the ability to speak. Just this morning she was worried he was pulling away from her, and now, she was standing in front of him as he asked her to be his, for the rest of their lives.

"Yes, Jacob, I'll marry you. I want everything you just said and more," she hiccupped, trying to get a handle on the outpouring of emotion. "I want to be your wife, your partner, the mother of your children. I want to be the one who wakes up beside you every morning and kisses you goodnight every night. I don't want eternity – I'm not that foolish kid anymore. I want _you_. Yes. A hundred times, yes!"

He placed the ring delicately on her finger, his large, sure hands shaking from relief and happiness. Setting the box to the side, he scooped her up into his arms and spun them around, before setting her back on the ground and dipping her back for a 'movie kiss'. He pressed his forehead to hers and took a long breath, inhaling the scent of his fiancée for the first time. Placing his hands on her tear-stained cheeks, he kissed her softly.

"You've just made me the happiest man alive, Bells," he breathed before turning back towards the candle lit beach and shouting. "She said yes!" His declaration was met with a chorus of cheers, whoops and hollers which had the couple laughing with delight.

_She'd said yes._

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><p>Their lives where a haze of bliss and excitement after that. The distance didn't seem so long, the were no longer worried or jealous – they both knew who owned their hearts, and they didn't need reassurance from each other – they just knew.<p>

Jacob and Bella were married the summer after he graduated college – Bella said they had to be real grown-ups to do something like that, and just as he promised her, it was a small ceremony, on the beach conducted by Old Quil. Embry was best man, joking the whole time about hooking up with the head bridesmaid when she got drunk and easy as he'd heard bridesmaids tended to do at weddings. Alex told him if he made one more joke he would be sleeping on the couch for the next week when they got back to their apartment in Seattle. She didn't need the excuse of being head bridesmaid to do that – she'd perfected the art of being drunk and easy long before he ever met her. He shut up after that.

Levi Uley II was ring bearer, his little sister, Samantha shared flower girl duties along with Jared and Kim's daughter, Lilly. They were the only pups yet to be born to the pack, but plenty of hints were dropped on Bella that a new Alpha would have to be born soon. Claire Young was too distracted by the fact that Quil had brought a date to the wedding to feel left out – she spent her time telling Quil that she had a stupid face and spilled a drink on the dumb woman's pretty dress. She wasn't good enough for Quil anyway, Claire said. Any girl who was good enough to go out with her Quil would have to look at him the way Bella looked at Jacob, and that lady looked at Quil like she wanted to eat him or something disgusting like that.

Charlie and Billy told embarrassing stories about Bella and Jacob's childhood, with Billy reminding Charlie of a bet they made when three-year-old Jake pulled up the skirt of a four-and-a-half year old Bella that they'd be married some day. Billy thanked Bella for making him fifty-bucks richer, but said he'd been worried for a while when she'd been engaged to Edward Cullen. Bella blushed and told him he was welcome, trying to tune out the fact that Quil and Seth were announcing that it wasn't the last time Jacob saw Bella's underwear.

Leah brought Jason to the wedding, the two now living together for the past two years and trying for a baby. Leah watched the kids at the celebration with a wistful smile on her face, and was surprised when Sam told her it would happen for her some day soon – he knew what a great mother she would make and felt sorry for anyone who messed with her kids. She smiled gratefully and thanked him, and they both mused at how differently their plans had turned out from the ones they'd made as two love-struck nineteen-year-olds all that time ago. Leah said everything worked out how it was supposed to, and when Emily placed their sleeping daughter on his lap and she curled into her Daddy's warmth, Sam had to agree.

Seth and Alison were still in the stage of their imprint where they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and were given a stern warning by Sue when she caught them sneaking back to the party after a quick tryst in the woods. She told Alison, one nurse to another, that just because her son looked like he was in his mid-twenties, didn't mean he was ready to be a father yet. Charlie laughed at his wife's statement, but knew better than to let her see that.

Rachel and Paul were a bundle of nerves. Her period was late, and although they were both working steady jobs and had a good income, they hadn't planned on children until they had their own house. Paul was secretly hopeful that she was pregnant, but didn't think saying as much to Rach would help the situation. She was already jumping down his throat for the slightest thing, so he kept himself content with the image of how Rachel's cup-size would double, as he knew pregnant women's often did, and thought up baby names in his head.

Collin and Brady were upset at the lack of unfamiliar ladies at the wedding – they'd been sure that since Bella and Alex were so hot, they'd at least have some sexy friends or even a good-looking cousin to eye up. Billy told them the sooner they both imprinted, the better it would be for women-kind everywhere.

Jared and Kim left early, since Lilly had drank too much soda and thrown up on her pretty flower girl's dress. She couldn't stop crying so they made their excuses and went, leaving Jacob and Bella agreeing to wait a year or so before they had their own children. They wanted to enjoy a few more late nights and the freedom that came with being newlyweds.

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><p>It was not to be though. After Bella and Jacob's six-month anniversary, she began feeling nauseous in the morning, and well, most of the day, in fact. She said it was the flu, since she didn't want to take any time off from her job at Peninsula College taking literature. Besides, jacob abd Quil were still wading through the mountain of debt that came with their first year of business – they were definitely spending more than they were making right now, and Jake and Bella had been careful, knowing that both were in no position to support a baby.<p>

Their future child had other plans though, as Bella's nausea didn't lift after a week, and she was forced to buy a pregnancy test stealthily from the pharmacy in Forks.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry when it came out positive. She worried about everything in those first moments, sitting on the toilet lid and staring at the small, plastic stick that signified their future – money, daycare, parental philosophies, teething, puberty, education, teenage rebellion; and then she thought about how this was Jacob's child. Jacob's and _her _child, and how this had almost never happened, and suddenly, she didn't feel so worried anymore.

She was having a child with Jacob, and there was nothing scary about that.

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><p><strong>AN: I know it's been a while. I'm sure you've realised that I was caught up in my other story, Regression. I hit somewhat of a climax on that one, so wanted to go back to Not Your Type to give myself a break from all that angst!**

**Hope you guys are still with me, and have seen the manip I posted on the Author page of Alex and Embry. Don't they make a cute couple?**

**Let me know your thoughts, and I'll try not to make you wait too long for the final epilogue.**


	36. Brighter Than The Sun

_Disclaimer:_ _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise._ _No copyright infringement is intended._

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-Six: Brighter Than The Sun<strong>

**(Epilogue Part Three)**

Sam, Paul and Jared drew great amusement out of Jacob's panic. Not a day went by that he didn't have at least one mini-freak-out that Bella would fall down a flight of stairs, crash her car, befriend a new vampire or decide to clean Charlie's gun collection for him and wind up with her second bullet wound. There was just no talking to him – the only times he was truly at peace were when Bella was asleep, or when he could lay his head on her stomach and tell their future daughter all about the life she had waiting for her in the big wide world, and whisper words of love and devotion that only someone of Jacob's warm heart could honestly pledge. The soon-to-be father was smitten already, and Bella tried to be patient with the constant phone calls and stepping up of patrols. It was quite ridiculous – they hadn't so much as caught scent of a vampire in nearly a year, and The Pack was so experienced in battle compared to the complacent nomads they'd encountered, no leech stood a chance.

Jacob couldn't help it. It was Bella – Bella, who was a complete danger magnet through no fault of her own, was carrying _his _baby, and he was plagued with visions of her being hurt, kidnapped or worse. The thought of losing one or both of them was enough to have him leaving their little rented house in the middle of the night to check in with whoever was phased. It was always the same – quiet. Billy was the only one able to assuage his worries somewhat – it was the same for any expectant father; Jacob just had the added burden of knowing what was really out there in the shadows.

Bella's pregnancy was relatively event-free. She'd heard from talking to her mother, Emily, Kim, and Rachel that she should expect to be a ball of nerves and heightened emotions as she undertook the life-changing experience. It seemed though, that Jake was worried enough for the both of them. She used Emily as a sympathetic ear as she whined about how Jacob treated her as if she was made of glass, refusing to be intimate until after the baby was born. It was a problem Emily knew all-too well, and she tried not to laugh as Bella frustratedly Googled maternity-size lingerie and grumbled how she'd look like a hippo who got lost in a department store. She couldn't find a way to convince Jacob that she wasn't just hormonal like he condescendingly told her when she got snippy with him; she was sexually frustrated. He looked as good as ever, and she felt like it was her own personal penance having to watch her glorious husband prance around half-naked, glistening with sweat and with car grease and dirt smeared across his practically edible torso, but she had the sneaking suspicion that he was feeling the pressure of the lack of physical closeness as much as she was. He took extra time in the shower every evening, and sometimes she'd find the bathroom locked in the mornings too, especially after her breasts started to swell. It just made her all the more frustrated that he was denying the both of them something they so clearly were craving. She found herself becoming increasingly bitchy, which Jake _still_ put down to hormones and nerves, despite her protests. She wanted to smack his sympathetic face. And then pinch his butt. And maybe bite it, just a little...

She wasn't scared in the slightest; the moments after finding out she was pregnant had taken care of that before she rationalised everything and calmed down. Her only concern was where they were going to live. They'd been renting a small cottage on the Reservation since they got married; setting up Jacob's business and paying off Bella's student loans had pretty much tied up their finances, and she was pretty sure any child of Jacob's would need a lot more space to live in than the small, one-bedroomed house, even if it was a girl.

Another couple embarking on the next stage in their relationship was Alex and Embry. He'd finally popped the question in the middle of an argument over a job offer Alex received back in New York with the Times. Embry panicked – he knew it was her dream, and he would never stand in her way of pursuing it, but he didn't want to leave Washington and his mother and half-brother behind, not when he'd only found his true heritage a few years before. Besides, he was in the process of becoming a professor of Native American Culture. The bastard from the Res who grew up with no personal history was now on his way to becoming the most respected authorities in his field on just that. Alex had no intention of taking the job, but knew it would take something big to give Embry that final kick in the ass he needed to get down on one knee. She hid the smug smile she wore as she said yes, and they celebrated that night, in every single room of their apartment. She just had to wait to have the wedding when Bella wasn't too big to fit into a bridesmaid's dress, and their little girl could be a part of it.

It was with less than two months to go of Bella's pregnancy that Charlie and Sue invited the young couple over for dinner, something which had become a tradition as the family got used to their separate lives. Bella wondered how she would have survived without seeing Charlie if she had ended up with Edward. She needed him around for fatherly advice more and more, and thought that, if she was a vampire, it would have been one of the things she would have missed out on without even realising it. Charlie wasn't good with teenage girls, or how to cope with heartbreak, but trying to make ends meet as a newly married couple, he knew well.

Jake and Bella were floored at the news that Sue was selling her house. Seth had since moved out to be with Ali, and Leah and Jason were going through the process of adoption, both with their own steady incomes and a newly acquired home. Sue hadn't lived in the home she shared with Harry for quite a few years now, and had spoken with her kids about the prospect of giving up their childhood home. Ever the considerate, kind guy, it was Seth's idea to offer it to Jacob and Bella – he'd grown up with so many amazing memories in that house, and knew it would be a shame to see it go to waste when a brand new family could make it theirs. Sue offered them a private sale, without an interest rate as she knew that Jacob's pride as Billy Black's only son wouldn't allow him to take hand-outs, but that they were in no position to be crippled by the bank's interest rates. Bella was thrilled – everything was falling into place, and Leah became her partner in crime, buying out the stores in Port Angeles of baby clothes and nursery items. Alex found it pretty amusing that the two women who despised shopping so much embraced it when they caught sight of onesies and teddy-bears.

Alexandria Sarah Black (known thereafter to her family and friends as Lexie), saw her first vampire when she was fourteen hours old. Luckily for her, it was none other then Alice Cullen, who bounded into the room despite warnings and requests from her mate and family that they clear the visit with Jacob first. Luckily for them, the Alpha was too blissful to protest, but did ask a very apologetic Jasper that they didn't make a habit of showing up out of the blue. Rosalie and Esme were absolutely smitten on sight – Bella and Jacob's daughter was already stunning with her butterscotch skin, chocolate eyes and a shock of poker-straight black hair. She had her mothers lips and doe-eyed gaze, but her father's nose, and everyone said she was going to break hearts when she was older. Emmett knew he'd have trouble pulling his wife away from her, and his heart broke once again that he could never give her the one thing she'd always desire. Carlisle was honoured when Bella asked that he examine Lexie himself – Edward was right, his was the only medical opinion any of them really trusted, and with werewolf genes, who knew how special the little bundle really was.

It was in a private moment with the young family that Edward expressed his joy – Bella was born to be a mother, he could see that now, and his ever-active mind could be at ease knowing that she had chosen to be with someone who could adequately protect her if any more threats arose. He informed the new parents that a trust fund had been set up in the name of any current and future Black children, a revelation that Jacob protested until he was told that it was the only way of ensuring that Alice would give them the privacy that they needed. A silent understanding was reached between the two former competitors that day, and Edward knew that despite the fact that he'd lost this battle, he would no longer be a victim of love's cruel afflictions. Bella had taught him that he was capable of opening his stone heart to someone else, and he only hoped to find what she had with Jacob – he knew happily-ever-afters existed now, and he was going to find his own.

It was to be the last they'd ever see of the Cullens, and a sense of melancholy briefly descended over Bella as waved goodbye. Once, they had been all she ever dreamed of, and she was willing to die to be with them. Looking down at Lexie as she nursed her brand new daughter, Bella thought how her dreams hadn't come true, but sometimes, once in a while, reality is much, much better.

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><p>Lexie Black's fifth birthday was a momentous occasion in more ways than one. The day she was born, her father had decided to give himself a five-year deadline to quit phasing. If they had not run across a single vampire between the day of her birth and the day she turned five, control of The Pack was to be handed over to Quil. He, Collin and Brady were the only members left still phasing anyway, as the rest of the pack had either settled into family life or moved on for personal reasons.<p>

Jacob was feeling strange about giving up that part of his life for good, but there was so much more happening now that he'd be a part of. He was married to the absolute love of his life, had two amazing kids who had him wrapped around their little fingers (Charles Jacob, or CJ, was almost three now, and a complete terror, much to his uncles' delight), he had just been granted planning permission to open a second garage in port Angeles, and he had a feeling Billy wanted to talk to him about taking over as Chief now that he was giving up the wolf. In his spare time, he honed his craft of whittling with his dad, hoping to pass down the trade to CJ once he was old enough not to cause himself serious injury (he'd inherited his clumsiness from his mother). He was even able to spend time in the air with his kids every few weekends – it was the break he needed from the relentless pressures upon his undoubtedly broad, but still very young shoulders. This day was one of new beginnings, not goodbyes, and although he knew the great red wolf would always be a part of him, it was time to let the old dog rest, at last.

Embry and Alex had travelled from Seattle, determined never to miss a big event in their goddaughter's life, and knew anyway that the choice was out of their hands once their four-year-old, Grace, had received the invitation in the mail. Lexie and Grace were best friends, just like their mothers, and were a force to be reckoned with when they got together – Levi and Sammy Uley, Lilly Cameron and Will Lahote had no choice but to involve them in their games on peril of ratting out to the parents.

Quil was nervous about taking over charge of the Pack from Jake, as he wasn't sure how long it would be before he quit phasing himself. Unbeknownst to his brothers, Quil had met a girl, and he knew she was The One. Her name was Liv, and she'd been a frequent customer to the garage over the past year. The girl was a disaster when it came to cars, but he was in deep, and there was _one_ thing that made her stand out among the countless others.

Claire liked her.

The fifteen year old had just been let in on the secret, having grown up around her fraternal-figure for years and finally forcing him to come clean as to why he never got sick and never aged. He told her about the imprint, and she was speechless. She took one look at the most important man in her life and told him, flat out, that she would never see him as anything other than her big, stupid, over protective brother. Quil was ecstatic, the older she got, the closer the day came when he and Claire would have to make the decision to turn their relationship romantic. The thought horrified him – she was his baby girl, and although he would always be there for her when she needed him, it would never be more complicated than what they already had. Quil was on the precipice of a new stage in his life. He was really free to be with who he wanted, and could still have everyone he loved around him. His protective nature would never go away, but for the first time in years, he felt like a young man with the world at his feet, and he could do whatever the hell he liked.

Bella had some new beginnings of her own. There had to be fifty people here, each one with a special place in her heart, and she was about to tell them that there was to be one more. She had a feeling Jacob suspected – after her first pregnancy, he knew the differences in scent that her body produced when she was expecting. What he hadn't told her, though, was that instead of one new scent emanating from his wife, there were two – he wondered how to casually bring up in conversation that twins ran in families. It was a good thing they were opening that second garage, after all.

She watched her family as they overtook the spacious back yard of their home. Jacob was the picture of relaxed joy – his best friends surrounded him, his children ran around his feet and his father and father-in-law watched proudly from their seats on the back porch as their descendants milled around. It was the dream both men had secretly shared, and although it was a long time coming, they toasted to their success and the bonds of family. They had always been brothers in heart, but now, that bond went that much deeper. When Lexie Black blew out the candles on her bright pink birthday cake, the fire that had engulfed her family's lives was finally extinguished. Gone were the days of fear, battle scars and broken hearts. No more monsters and magic. Now, the new dawn brought hope, and love, and everlasting contentment. Her parents could grow old together, become grandparents, and live out their lives in peace. It was normal, it was exhilarating, it was natural.

It was the greatest love story of all.

**The End.**

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><p><strong>AN: Wow. I can't believe this is finished. I don't really know what to say, except thank you. Thank you to everyone who read, favourited, joined, reviewed and commented. Thanks to everyone who sent messages, cried, laughed, and got mad at me for not getting Jacob and Bella together sooner. This journey couldn't have happened without each and every one of you, and I know if I started listing names, someone would be left out, so if you did any of the above, this story was for you.**

**To any future readers, please, please drop me a little review to tell me if you enjoyed this – just because I'm not posting updates, doesn't mean that I'm not excited to hear any more thoughts.**

**As for future projects – I'm still working on Regression, although it's nearing the end too. Please, if you have enjoyed Not Your Type and haven't read it yet, have a look. I promise more Jake and Bella and Embry with a cool original character (I seem to have a penchant for giving that boy a nice girl to cuddle up to at night!).**

**I may or may not be foraying into different pairing within the Twilight universe – some people have requested a Bella/Embry story and if the right plot bunny comes along, I'd be more than happy to investigate that – in the meantime, there's an amazing B/Em story currently ongoing, called Bluebird by Meliz875. I'm hooked already and it's just getting started. It's her first fic and any authors out there know how daunting that is. Not Your Type was my first Twilight fic, and if it wasn't for the outpouring of support and feedback I got, this story would never have made it past Chapter One.**

**I'm going to stop here before it turns into an Oscar acceptance speech to say, once again, thank you, and I hope to have some of you back on board for future endeavours.**

**-Niamh xx**


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